What Could Have Been
by imagine222
Summary: Draco tries to save Hermione during the war, and Hermione wants to know why. How will she react when they have to retake the 7th year and he is forced to spend time with her? will she find a new side of him that was hidden before?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **_**looks at self.**_** Nope I'm not an amazing rich author who created harry potter…**_**sigh…**_

**A/N: this is my first fan fiction. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy. Please read and review. No flaming. If you don't like something you can say it nicely. Ill shut up now. Enjoy! **

**What Could Have Been****chapter 1**

Hermione POV

_It was late at night. I woke to a white glow that was illuminating the tent. The reptile stopped in front of me and spoke a single word, "follow". It slithered away but I remained were I was. I wanted to follow it out of the tent but was reluctant. We had gotten ourselves into enough traps as it was, and I didn't recognize the snake patronus. It came back a minute later and said again, "follow". Again it slithered out of the tent. This time I followed it to the tent entrance to see where the magical light was leading me. It stopped twenty feet away then disappeared. At first I was confused then I heard it, the sound of footsteps on the forest floor. I heard a twig snap and instinctively took out my wand. I was just about to cast a stunning spell when the person came into the clearing. "Harry!" I let out a gasp of relief. But when I saw who was following him my face fell. It was Ron. Ron who ran away. Ron who left us. And he was carrying the sword of Gryffindor and they were both soaking wet._

_After I calmed down enough to talk to Ron I couldn't help but ask. The question had been on my mind ever sense Harry found him and brought him back. "Ron, what animal is your patronus?" the random question caught him off guard, but I could tell he was trying to hide a smile. At least we could talk without me slapping him for the first time in what seemed like weeks. "A Jack Russell terrier, why do you ask?" "No reason, just curious". I knew that Harry had the stag so I didn't need to ask him. That night I lay in bed, unable to sleep. I kept wondering who we knew that had a snake patronus that would be willing to help us but no one came to mind. Witch left the question, if Ron didn't cast it, who did?_

_My body ached. I was covered in my own blood. The stone floor was cold against my cheek. The only thought in my mind besides the pain was I have to get out of here. Find Harry and Ron and leave the manor. However, leaving the cold dark house seemed near impossible. With no wands and the three of us separated we would be lucky if one of us got out alive. The dark haired witch standing above me raised her wand preparing for another Cruciatus Curse. Or possibly the killing curse. Maybe I was lucky and she was board of me. At least death would put an end to the pain that seemed infantine. "That's enough Bella. I think she will answer you now. Besides you can't get a decipherable response if it comes out in screams. And to be quite honest the mudblood is giving me a headache." I forced my eyes to open only to meet stormy grey eyes. I looked at Draco questionably. He stared back with no emotion on his face but in his eyes I could see disgust, pity, and sorrow? Disgust I could understand. After all, I was nothing but a waste of space on this earth to him. But the last two? Did Draco-my-enemy-since-first-year-perfect-predjuduce-pureblood-Malfoy actually care that I was about to die?_

_Fire. Fire everywhere. Any where you looked all you could see were the flames destroying anything they could. I ran. I tried to find the exit to the room while searching for Ron and Harry as well. I heard a scream to my left and ran in that direction. I saw a body fall into the monstrous flames never to be seen again. All I could do was hope it wasn't Harry or Ron. Then I saw Malfoy at the top and decided it had to be Crabb or Goyal. I heard Ron calling my name and pointing to the door that would allow us to escape the fire. But one last glance at Malfoy, struggling to hold on, looking so helpless, I knew that I wouldn't be able to leave them. Then something caught my eye. It was a pile of broomsticks! I ran and grabbed three. By the time I had reached them Harry and Ron were both right behind me and I handed them each one as well. I could tell by the look in Harry's eyes that he knew what was going to happen but Ron, clueless as ever, grabbed his broomstick and flew straight out of the room on his. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I mounted my broomstick. We flew side by side to rescue our enemies. _Damn Gryffindor chivalry. If we die trying to save them I swear I will come back as a ghost to haunt them!_ Because of Harry's seeker skills he was able to fly a little ahead and save Crabbe without a problem. I reached a hand out to Malfoy, something I never thought I would do. He starred at it for a second questioningly. "If you want to live take the damn hand!" I shouted angrily in his face. He hesitated a moment then took it and swung himself onto the broom. We zoomed out of the room just in time. As soon as the broom landed Malfoy jumped off and ran away with Crabbe without so much as a 'thank you'._

_I stopped to take a breath. I had just defeated one of the death eaters and needed to regain my energy. The battle had been going on for over three hours and this was my first break. The lights went everywhere. Some green, some purple or red. Some missing the witch or wizard it was cast at, or more likely than not hitting them. I watched as bodies fell from both sides. Weather they where dead or just stunned, it didn't matter. I couldn't think about that now. Harry had been missing for a while but he hadn't turned himself in to Voldemort. At least not yet. So wherever he was it must be important because Harry was never one to run away. The most I could do at the moment was attempt to hold off the dark side till Harry was done. I had to at least try. Just as I was about to head back into the fight my wand flew out of my hand. I twirled around to find myself face to face with Lucius Malfoy. "Such a brilliant witch, such a shame to have filthy blood. So depressing that I don't think you deserve the killing curse. It's too quick, too painless. As a matter of fact," he pulled out a knife and held it to my throat "I don't think you deserve to die by magic at all." He said this lazily, as if he had all the time in the world. I didn't want another repeat of Malfoy manor, this time I would say something in my defense. "Whether you kill me or not it makes no difference," Lucius looked at me surprised, he said nothing so I continued. "Harry will still defeat Voldemort. Your precious lord will still fall and there will be nothing you can do about it. One lost life, especially a muggle born like me, will not determine the outcome of this war." At this he dug the blade far enough into my neck that a drop of blood was exposed. "Maybe not," he replied "doesn't mean that I can't kill you though." He was just about to slice my throat when he froze. I watched as the life left his eyes, and he fell over, dead. As I looked up from the dead death eater I had just enough time to see the end of a cloak round the corner. I tried to follow but I had walked back into the battlefield and was forced to fight._

I woke with a start. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes were green ones starring back at me. His hand was on my shoulder, probably trying to wake me up. I took in my surroundings. _That's right. I'm at the burrow. Not the final battle. I'm here because I had nowhere else to go because my parents are in Australia._ I took a deep breath as my heart rate returned to normal.

"You alright Hermione? You look as though you've seen a ghost." There was a hint of laughter in his voice but I could tell by the way he was looking at me that he was genuinely concerned.

"Yes Harry I'm fine thanks. Just another nightmare. I guess I know how you used to feel all the time with Voldemort." We both laughed at that. A pillow came out of nowhere and hit me in the face.

"Keep it down will you? Some people are actually trying to sleep!" a moment later he was snoring again so we figured it was safe to talk.

"His aim is better asleep then awake," Harry chuckled.

"Harry be nice," I said while hitting his arm with the pillow. Of corse he couldn't take me seriously because I was laughing as well. Then I remembered something. "Harry why did you wake me up? Is something wrong?"

"Same as you I guess, nightmare. I can't remember all the details, but I remember enough to know it involved Voldemort returning. He took you prisoner and forced me to watch as you were tortured and killed. And I couldn't do anything. I was completely helpless."

I could see the fear in his eyes and hear it in his voice. I grabbed his hand comfortingly. "He is not coming back Harry. We did not go through all that trouble destroying horcruxes for nothing. You watched him die just as I did. There is no way for him to come back now. Trust me, he is gone. Besides, I suffered enough pain at Malfoy manor, and I will not let Voldemort touch me, you, or anyone else that is important to us."

"Thank you Hermione. You always know the right thing to say." He pulled me into a hug. "Oh I almost forgot, what was your dream about? School starts next week, I would expect you to be excited, not scared."

"I don't remember, but I'm alright now. Thanks Harry." We said goodnight and went to bed. But I couldn't sleep. I did remember the dream, every detail. I hadn't thought about any of that sense the battle ended. I needed to stay strong for my friends. But because of the dream I couldn't help but think of the events from last school year. School. Harry was right; it did start next week. I had completely forgotten. A lot of us seventh years would be retaking the year because we missed so much during the war. Eventually I fell asleep thinking about all the fun things we would learn. Anything to keep from remembering the war.

**A/N: how was it? Good? Bad? Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I am J.K Rowling. I created the harry potter books. I am an amazing person. All the credit goes to me. **_**Wakes up.**_** Dimmit, stupid dreams, lying to me! And the readers too!**

**A/N: thank you for reading. Pleases review. And thanks to the wonderful people who added my story to their story alert. Thanks to ****DimondRainbows****, ****DracoMalfoy456****t, ****its zabini not zambini,**** and to ****Guest**** for the reviews. I am glad you like it, and I hope fixed all the spelling mistakes. Oh and in this story Fred is alive, because I said so.**

**What Could Have Been****Chapter 2**

**Hermione POV**

I awoke to the sun coming up from the window. It was a restless night. Despite my efforts to block out the thoughts that had plagued my dreams, they kept returning. I spent half the night tossing and turning in bed. I kept telling myself that I should go to sleep now, but sleep never came. I probably looked at the clock twenty times every five minutes. _Its 2:30 Hermione, go to bed. Its 4:00 Hermione, go to bed. Its 4:45, you need to sleep._ I thought to myself every time I saw the clock. When I saw the sun rising, I glanced at the clock. It was 6:00. _Well, might as well go downstairs, there is no way you are going to fall asleep now. _With that in mind I changed into my clothes and brushed my hair before heeding downstairs.

As soon as I was downstairs, I collapsed onto the couch. Although my mind was buzzing with thoughts, my body was exhausted. I stayed like that for a few minutes until I heard someone walking down the stairs. It was Fred and he looked as tired as I felt.

"Good morning Fred. Rough night?" I asked smiling up at him.

"You did too, by the looks of it." He replied taking a seat next to me. "George kept me up half the night. Wouldn't stop mumbling in his sleep. And every half hour he would wake me up to make sure I was still alive."

"Well of cores he is going to worry. He almost lost his twin. Although St. Mongos did a wonderful job of healing you physically. Not sure about mentally however."

Fred looked horrified. "How dare you even joke about them healing my brain. I like it just fine the way it is. Can you imagine what if they did something to me that made me take life seriously? The horror!" he asked with mock fear in his voice.

"Indeed, the world would never be the same again." I added playing along.

"You know it." We both cracked up laughing.

Once we calmed down I spoke again. "Seems like we all had a tough night. You and George harry and I both had nightmares too."

"It's probably just getting used to this new life. We don't have to live in fear. We have freedom. Finally a normal life." Fred smiled slightly.

Harry, who had been standing on the stairs for some time, decided to join our conversation and sit between Fred and I. "Normal. That will be different. Then again, with or without Voldemort I don't think our lives will ever be normal. As a matter of fact I have gotten so used to this life, that I'm more scarred of a normal one than I am of Voldemort." We nodded in agreement and fell into a comfortable silence. But it was short lived silence.

"You perverted bastard!" we heard Ron yell as he stomped down the stairs closely followed by George. "Why the hell would you do something like that?"

"Awwww come on Ronnie, how was I supposed to know you would be so stupid as to drink it?" George said innocently. Ron glared at him.

"Umm… dare I ask what happened?" harry said in the awkward silence.

Before Ron could say anything George jumped in. "well you see friends, my dear brother Ron here who I love deeply, woke up this morning and decided that he loved me as well. However it's not the brotherly love you might be imagining. Oh no, Ron is in love with me and tried to make out with me as soon as he set eyes on me this morning. Although I am sure my brother is a wonderful kisser, I sadly had to pull away because in my heart, I knew I couldn't feel the same way. It just wasn't right. I looked him in the eyes and said 'Ron, I love you but we just can't be together for we are brothers and such a relationship would put this family to shame…'

"Enough!" Ron exploded. His face was red with anger. "That's not what happened! This freak slipped me a love potion and I only drank it because I didn't know it was a love potion and I was thirsty!"

"I gave you the potion to help you out this school year because everyone knows you can't get a girl on your own! I was just trying to help." George replied. He looked very thrilled with what he passed as 'logic'.

Ginny, who had just come downstairs and only herd the last part, wrapped he arms around Ron's neck from behind the couch. She rested her chin on his head in a weird hug thing, but Ginny somehow managed to make it entertaining because Ron was trying to get her off and she just looked at us with big innocent eyes. "You people are so mean. My brother is not the worst thing that happened. But yes George, I must agree with you."

I had been trying to hold in my giggles for a while, but at that last statement I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Everyone else joined in except for Ron. He angrily shoved Ginny off him and stalked outside. I didn't bother going after him, he would cool down after breakfast.

"Would you like any help Mrs. Weasley?" I asked. She looked tired so I decided to do my best to help.

"Thank you dear. You are so kind, "she smiled down at me. "You can set the table, then make the bacon if it's not too much trouble." I smiled in return and gathered the dishes.

An hour later the food was ready and everyone was sitting around the table enjoying the delicious meal. As I had predicted, Ron was sitting with us again, smiling and laughing like nothing had happened.

It was nice. No one had been this carefree in a long time. Of corse Voldemort had died a few months ago, but it took us all a while to realize that he would not be coming back this time. Even longer to learn to not always have your guard up. We could finally live a normal life. That is, as normal as a person with magic can. It was nice to relax with friends and not have to think 'I could die at any moment.'

Once we were all done eating and the others had gone to their rooms to get ready for the day, Harry and I cleared the plates while Ron stood next to us and talked. "You know Ron, this is your house, and it wouldn't kill you to help us." I sighed, knowing my attempt would be useless.

"Yeah, we are the guests. _You_ are supposed to clean up after _us_." Harry pretended to sound angry at Ron, but we could both tell he didn't mean it.

"You're not guests. Every time school is out you practically live here. My mom's said countless times that you are our family. And family helps family do work." Ron tried to explain his reasoning.

"Yes but I believe the key word is _help, _not_ do all the work_. So you can be a nice little family member and _help_ your family." I replied.

"Um… no thanks. "He smiled. I rolled my eyes at his laziness. Harry and I finished the dishes and the three of us went upstairs as well.

"Oooooh look! A new broom came out! And look at that?" Ron was bursting with excitement. We had just gotten to diagon alley to get our school supplies and already Ron was dragging us to the quidditch shop.

"Do you even know what that is Ron?" I asked. I was already bored of the famous wizard sport and they had only been talking about it for less than five minutes.

"Well no, but it's something to do with quidditch, and it's on sale!" he looked at me with big eyes. I could tell Harry wanted to go in as well, but he was way better at controlling his emotions than Ron was.

"Just go in if you want to then." I replied tiredly. Harry looked uncertain. "Harry, I helped you to kill the horcruxes, I think I can manage a few minutes alone in a book store," I said pointing down the street.

Harry still looked guilty about ditching me, but I guess he was just as excited as Ron because he said, "alright but be careful. We'll meet you outside of the Leaky Cauldron at noon for lunch."

I smiled at his concern for me. "Sounds good. See you soon." And with that I walked to the book store and Ron and harry tried to keep from running in the quidditch store.

I opened the door and paused for a moment. It had been a while since I had come here. I smiled and walked in. I began to look through the books, waiting for something to catch my eye. After a little while of finding nothing the shop owner walked up to me.

"Good morning, do you need any help finding anything?" she looked to be in her mid forties with a blouse and jacket, and long skirt. She had grey hair tied in a bun, and wore thick glasses.

"No thank you, I was just looking."

"Alright. Just let me know if you need anything."

I smiled and nodded. The lady walked back to the checkout counter. I continued to look through the books. I picked up one titled Dark Magic Items, and What to Do With Them._ Little late for that,_ I thought and placed the book back. I was about to leave when I saw The Quibbler. The caption on the front told me that the last few pages had spells for makeup and hair. I decided to buy it for Ginny knowing how long she takes in the morning_, and besides, her birthday is coming up soon, this could be part of her present_. I thought to myself as I paid for the magazine.

As I turned to leave I bumped into someone and tripped. We both fell down. I waited for the person's body to land on me and crush me, but it never did. I slowly opened my eyes. They were met by silver ones. _Malfoy must have great reflexes to be able to stop himself from falling on me_ I thought numbly. I gazed back into his eyes. His face remained like stone, not a single emotion. His eyes were another story. There were so many emotions in them that I couldn't read them all.

We stayed there for what seemed like forever. Both of us were trying to figure out what the other was thinking. My body felt frozen under his. I waited for him to get up and dust off his clothes, saying that he would have to burn them because a mud blood like me has no right to touch him. However he did no such thing. He stayed just as still as me and just as quiet.

I was beginning to think we would stay like that forever, when Neville walked in. "Hermione!" he said happily. Malfoy's and my head shot up at the same time. Neville just then noticed I was on the ground and who was on me. His face turned red in anger. "You get off her! Leave her alone! Don't touch her!" by now Neville had his want out and it was pointing at Malfoy's head.

"Calm down you big freak. She tripped and fell on me." Malfoy said annoyed as he stood up. As soon as our bodies where no longer in contact I could move again. He sneered at Neville then walked calmly out of the shop.

"Hermione are you alright? What happened? He didn't try anything with you did he? I'll kill him!" he exclaimed as he helped me to my feet.

"Honestly Neville, I'm fine. You don't need to kill him, not yet anyway. I was in a rush and I turned around. He was right behind me so we bumped into each other and fell."

"Oh. Sorry for overreacting. Guess since the war it's just been a little hard to trust Slytherin's. Not that it's ever been easy, but you get it." I nodded in response.

We walked out the store and wondered down the street. "Why where you in such a rush anyway?"

"I was supposed to meet Harry and Ron for lunch." I glanced at my watch and began panicking, "exactly fifteen minutes ago. Oh no, I'm late!"

"I don't think they will mind. It wasn't your fault anyway."

"You are probably right. Would you like to join us for lunch?" he nodded so I continued. "And it would probably be best if you don't mention the book store incident to them, you know how they will react."

"Understood." We were now just a few feet away from the Leaky Cauldron, and could see Ron pacing outside the door as Harry tried to reason with him. "what if someone knocked her out, took her to their house that is on the edge of a cliff, raped her, beat her almost to death, then threw her off the cliff while laughing like a maniac?!" he was screaming and causing a lot of people around to stare.

I decided now would be a good time to step in before Ron got any more crazy ideas. I tapped him on the shoulder, "or maybe she ran into a friend and is right behind you," I suggested.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" he yelled in surprise which caused Harry, Neville, and I to chuckle. "Oh Hermione it's you! You are alive!" he got on both his knees and yelled, "praise the lord, she lives!" with his arms in the air. He then noticed Neville. "And you, you found her and saved her. You are a hero. Thank you!" he bent down and kissed Neville's feet.

"The potion Ron had this morning wasn't a love potion; it was one that caused all his emotions to be multiplied. Fred and George wouldn't tell be by how much though." Harry explained for Ron, who was now weeping in a ball on the ground.

"I see." I said with amusement in my voice. I noticed there were more people staring at us then there were a moment ago. It was making me uncomfortable. "How bout we go inside and grab something to eat?" I suggested. Thankfully, they all agreed.

The meal was entertaining at first, with Ron bursting into tears for every little thing. 'These napkins are so white' or 'what wonderful food' he would be overjoyed. 'The chair is so hard' or 'I'm out of water' he looked ready to murder someone. After several people coming up and asking if he needed medical help, it got a little old.

We finished our meal in a hurry. Before we finished our school shopping, Ron got so annoying that I had to cast a silencing charm on him. The rest of the day was peaceful. It was going on seven when we decided to say good bye to Neville and head back to the burrow.

"See you in a few days," I said, hugging him goodbye.

"Good bye, see you on the train," Harry said, giving him a pat on the back. Ron was on his knees again, mouthing 'why god why.'

"See ya, take care, and make sure Ron doesn't stay this way forever." And with that we heeded our separate ways. I was very excited when we got to the burrow. I couldn't wait to see all my friends again. Only a few more days.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do own the books. They look wonderful on my bookshelf, even if someone else wrote them.**

**A/N: Thank you **_**Kaien**__** Brief**_** for the review. ****Thank you so much to all the people who put this story on their alert list, and thanks to those who put it on their favorites list! Reviews are appreciated. Also, if you are reading and have not done either then thank you for reading!**

**What Could Have Been****Chapter 3**

**Draco P.O.V**

I was hungry, but I couldn't move. My feet were asleep, but I didn't care. I needed to figure out what was going on with me. At first I had known my reasons, but now I think there might have been more to them, though I'm not sure exactly what. And why was I still doing it? The dark lord is dead so why am I still fighting? Why is it so hard?

'_Because you want to do more. You feel like you need to make up for what you did.'_ Said the annoying voice in the back of my mind. It had been there since that night. The night I was told to fix the vanishing cabinets. I knew it was wrong, but I was a coward. I did what I had to do in order to stay alive. I was selfish to. I didn't do it because he had threatened my family, oh no I only did it to save my worthless skin. Of corse if it was pretty boy Potter, he wouldn't have hesitated to sacrifice himself for someone else. Whether he hated them or not.

It came again when I was supposed to kill Dumbledore. I couldn't do it. Snape had come, and the old man was murdered anyways. I suffered countless hours of torture for failing. Both from the dark lord and from my father.

The voice came more often after that. Telling me to change. It came to me when I watched my supposedly enemy lying in front of me. Being tortured by my aunt. She looked so helpless, so alone, the way I always felt. And I felt bad for her. Being tortured so much that she didn't have the strength to scream. I watched as the brave Gryffindor princess allowed herself to fall apart in front of the people who she hated most. I couldn't take it, I looked away. I had been abused so many times, but I had never had so much pain cast upon me at once. The voice told me to do something. I tried to reason with my aunt, tell her to stop without seeming to care too much. I knew she wouldn't look at me, she was too focused on her victim. I tried to send Granger a message with my eyes. I tried to tell her what my voice wouldn't say. That I knew how she felt, that I hated Bellatrix just as much as she did, and that I was sorry that I had allowed it to go on for so long.

My mind wandered to the night in the room of requirement. Back to when Hermione had saved me with her broom. I was grateful of corse, but why would she do that? Why save me? I was after all the one that continuously made fun of her. Always calling her a mudblood, or some other name just to piss her off. I made her life at Hogwarts a living hell. If I was her I would have watched me burn, laughing the whole time. So why did she save me? I was so surprised by her actions that I was at a loss for words. As soon as the broom landed I took off. I didn't think I could handle talking to the person who had just saved my life when I had barley done anything for her.

A few houres later my father was teasing a victim. I saw who it was and had to keep myself from gasping out loud. After all she had gone through, I was not going to allow my father to kill her. I had to do something. I argued back and forth with the voice in my head, trying to figure out what to do. I saw my father press the knife against her throat, ready to kill. I had to act, and act fast. Without thinking the killing curse shot from my wand. I had just realised what I had done, and I ran. I ran because I couldn't believe I had just murdered someone. My own father. I ran because I was a coward and didn't want to take responsibility for taking away someone's life. I didn't want her to know what I had done and I had to escape.

There was two other times the voice had made me take action. I was in diagon ally grabbing some things for my mother. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something familiar. It was my old house elf. I didn't care who I pushed over I had to know why he was here. I pulled him in a corner. Then it was almost as if something was controlling my body and telling me what to say. It wasn't the imperious curse, I knew what that felt like. This was different. "if you see another house elf around, I want you to follow him. I want you to figure out what he is up to and I want you to help him. I know I don't own you anymore, but it is important that you do as I say. It is important for Potter's life." The elf looked ready to protest until I mentioned scar heads name. "anything for Mr. Harry Potter, he is my friend." He was about to leave when I called out, "and it is also very important for Potter that you do not say a thing about me to him." He nodded, then left.

The other time I hardly knew what was happening. I woke up in the middle of the night and a ball of light was hovering above me. I touched it and was transported to the middle of a forest. Nothing was controlling me, I acted purely on impulse and guessing. I didn't know what I was doing or why I was doing it, at least until I saw the stag. I followed it and saw Potter stripping. I wanted to go back to bed, I defiantly didn't want to see scar face naked. I knew Granger would be around somewhere, but wasn't sure where. I hid behind a tree and cast my patronus and a glowing snake appeared. I sent it to find Granger, to bring her to her friend. I thought he was trying to drown himself when he jumped into the pond, and thought the bookworm would be upset if she woke up to find her best friend dead.

But I had my reasons for all of that. I wanted to help get rid of Voldemort. I wanted him gone. My whole life I had done whatever my father said, or whatever the dark lord told me because I was scared. I guess I always knew that what they were doing was bad, but I never had the courage to do anything about it. Not only would I be beaten by my father, but I would also be shunned by my friends at school. If I tried to fight against the side they were on, they would hate me. But during the war and my final year at Hogwarts, I finally did something. I knew I would never be able to face the dark lord head on, so I did the next best thing. I tried to keep the dream team alive so they could kill Voldemort. Apparently they knew what they were doing to, because every time the dark lord came to my house he looked weaker.

But now the war was over. Voldemort was dead. I had personally killed my father. So I should be happy right? But right now the only thing I felt was confusion. What did that look mean in the book store? She looked surprised it was me who had bumped into her. She looked at me with confusion. Probably because I was still laying on her and not moving. She looked a little frightened to. But why wouldn't she be? It was my father who had almost ended her life. And apparently I looked just like that bastard. Once she realized that I was not my father she relaxed. The hatred in her eyes left. I tried to say something but my voice wouldn't work. I tried to move but me legs wouldn't cooperate. I felt frozen when she looked at me with her chocolate colored eyes. I wasn't sure how long we were like that, just starring at each other, but it felt right. Somehow it felt right to be so close to her, and not be yelling insults.

My parents were never there for me, I couldn't trust any of the teachers' except maybe Snape. I needed my friends. If I didn't have them, then I would be completely alone. Of corse they weren't really my friends. They just followed me because they didn't have any brains of their own. And I couldn't trust them. I could never tell them about how crappy my life was. So I lied. I pretended to be honored that I was chosen to kill Dumbledore, that I was the worst of them all.

I fought with Potter and his friends, tried to make them believe I hated them. And I did. I hated them for having parents that would show affection. I hated them for having real friends. I hated them for being able to do what they wanted. I hated them for having the strength to fight the dark lord. I hated them for being able to live the life that I wanted to have.

One day all the lies caught up to me. I didn't want to be on the dark side. I didn't believe any of it. But I never had much of a choice. It was either do it or be killed, and I chose the cowardly way out. I couldn't handle what I had allowed myself to become. I ran to the nearest bathroom and cried. That was one of the only times that I allowed myself to show my true emotions. Over the years my face had become as cold as stone. I rarely showed what I was really feeling. And of corse when I do Potter just had to be there.

I would have thought more about how much I hate Potter, but a knock on my door brought me out of my thoughts. "Draco, dinner is ready, come and eat." I heard mothers' footsteps getting farther away. I sighed and stood up. I was hungry; I hadn't eaten a thing all day. I slowly walked downstairs to the dining room and sat at my usual seat.

"It's nice to see you Draco, you have locked yourself in your room all day." My mother smiled at me. I was so surprised by this. To any other person, a simple smile would have meant nothing. But for me she might as well have hugged me till I fell asleep. I knew my mother cared for me. She would probably give her life for me. But she had hardly ever shown affection for me. She hadn't done something like this sense I was eight years old. And when she did she would risk being tortured by father. He said it would make us weak if we showed how much we cared about others. He said that it was bad to have friends, only have acquaintances. Whenever he suspected we were getting too close with another person, he would beat us until we agreed never to see them again.

It was nice to have someone smile at you. A true smile, not one filled with evil and wickedness. This was the first time I had ever been smiled at with an expression of love on their face. It caused me to smile back. "It's nice to see you too mother. Forgive me, I was a little tired today and wanted to rest."

"Of corse, I understand. The war took a lot out of all of us, the majority of us are still recovering." In the short amount of time that had passed since Voldemort was defeated and father had died, my mother and I had become closer. She would be kind towards me, not criticizing my every move like when they were alive. I knew she was trying to make up for all the years that she wasn't the best mother. All the years that she couldn't act like how she wanted around me. It felt good to feel like you had a family. It was nice to know that someone did care.

For some reason my mind went back to the book store. My mother still didn't know I had left the house. When I was gazing into Grangers eyes, I saw one more thing. That she believed in me. She believed I could change. She believed that I was a good person. She probably wasn't aware that she had even felt that way, but I had seen it in her eyes. Maybe somehow she knew I had tried to help her. Whatever the reason, it gave me strength. It gave me strength to know that someone, especially someone who hated me, could believe that there was some good in me. It made me want her to smile at me the way my mother had.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: *drinks polyjuice potion* there! I am now the author of the harry potter books! *potion where's off* awe… and now I only own the fan fiction.**

**A/N: thank you so much to all you wonderful people who are reading this. Double thanks to ****DiamondRainbows**** and to the anonymous reviewer with those kind words and those who have added the story to their favorites and alerts. Don't forget to review. **

**What Could Have Been****Chapter 4**

**Hermione POV**

I stood awkwardly on the side. Ron and Ginny were saying goodbye to their parents, Luna was with her dad, Neville was with his grandma. Which left me standing a little off to the side as we waited for the train to get here.

I glanced around the rest of platform nine and three quarters, looking for a familiar face. I wanted to know what other 'eighth years' I suppose you could call us, would be going back to retake the seventh year. It was hard to find anyone in this crowd but my eyes somehow found a head of platinum blond hair. Malfoy was talking to his mother. He wasn't surrounded by his usual friends. One was dead, the other wouldn't dare show his face in the school after almost setting the whole place on fire with the dark magic fiendfyre. He hesitantly hugged his mother, like he wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do, then grabbed his luggage and walked away.

"Well this is fun," said Harry as he walked over to me. Apparently he was done talking to Mrs. Weasley and decided to leave her alone with her children for a while.

"Isn't it though," I said sarcastically as I faced my best friend. "On the bright side, you and Ginny will probably be taking the same classes. You will get to see her a lot more than you normally would at school." Once Voldemort was gone they had decided to continue their relationship.

A smile spread across Harry's face. "Yes that will be very nice," he said in a dreamy voice. I smiled at this. It was obvious how much he loved her, anyone could see that they were perfect for each other. I was happy that some of my closest friends had found love in each other, but it often made me feel like a third wheel. I was just thankful that Ron didn't have a girlfriend. That was I wasn't completely alone. Ron and I had tried dating for a few weeks after the battle, but we both agreed that it was too weird. He was like my brother, and I was like his sister. We were just friends now, and that was fine with both of us.

Just then the train arrived. Its breaks screeched to a stop. Around me people were saying goodbye to their parents and giving them one last hug and kiss. The parents reluctantly let their children go, they remembered the war just a few months ago, and although they knew it wouldn't happen again, they didn't want to let their kids go. I picked up my stuff and was about to walk to the train with the rest of my friends, when I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to face Mrs. Weasley.

"Be careful dear, and don't let Harry and Ron get into too much trouble." She pulled me into a hug. I was surprised, but I managed to hug her back.

"Wouldn't dream of it Mrs. Weasley," I said as she pulled away. She smiled at me, a smile which I gladly returned. Then I turned and ran to catch up with my friends.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry, Ron, Neville, Ginny, Luna, and I were seated comfortably in a compartment. It was nice to be with all of them, talking about something besides the war. Luna had just finished telling us about how she had seen an Umqubular Slashkilter over the summer and how it had cursed her to only be able to make horrible pumpkin pasties for a month. We fell into an awkward silence, not knowing how to respond.

"That reminds me of the time in second year how those pixies hung me onto the skeleton thing in Lockhart's D.A.D.A room." Neville said before the silence had gotten too long.

"Oh yeah I remember that" Ron said while laughing. We all quickly agreed, happy for the change of subject. Luna didn't seem to notice. Either that or she didn't mind.

After a few hours of catching up, smiling, and laughing, the lady with the trolley came around. Ginny and I bought a few Chocoballs and Licorice Wands. Luna didn't get anything. Harry bought pretty much everything else on the cart for himself, Neville, and Ron. We spent the next half hour or so in a comfortable silence as we ate.

The silence was short lived as we heard two people arguing right outside the compartment.

"…because you don't need to fight with everyone you see!" the first voice yelled.

"He was asking for it! If he didn't…" the second voice tried to defend himself. He sounded very familiar.

"I don't care that he called your father a useless piece of traitorous shit, that is no reason to beat the poor boy to death.

"First off, he also said I was just like my father, and second, I only gave him a bloody nose!"

"You still hit him. Now you will stay in this compartment until you learn how to control yourself." The door to our compartment opened to reveal the trolley lady and Malfoy. "Hello children. I hope you don't mind that this boy will be sharing the compartment with you. It's the captain's orders." She faced Malfoy. "And you, if I find out that you leave here, there will be hell to pay when you get to Hogwarts." With that she slammed the door and stomped down the hallway.

"Oh just wonderful. Now we have to be in a small confined space with bloody ferret boy." Ron complained. "Wonderful way to start the new year. Just perfect."

"Watch it weasel king. It's not like I asked to be here. I don't exactly fancy spending the next few hours locked with scar head, Lonny Lovegood, a blood traitor, an idiot, a slut, and a bookworm." Malfoy snapped with a dangerous glare.

Malfoy and Ron glared daggers. A minuet passed, then two, then five. No one had moved. Malfoy was still standing in the middle of the compartment, and Ron was still sitting with half of a Sugar Quill in his left hand. Neither of them was backing down, afraid to look weak in front of the enemy. _It's amazing what boys will do for pride._ I thought as I watched them.

Suddenly the train lurched to a stop causing Malfoy to fall down, Ron to drop his Sugar Quill and the rest of us to move forwards a couple inches. Malfoy stood up and after casting Ron one last glare, sitting in the only available seat which just happened to be on my right against the window. _Oh wonderful, this should be fun._ I thought sarcastically.

"What are you doing?" harry asked Malfoy.

"I'm hunting an elephant while getting drunk and riding a unicorn." He replied sarcastically while getting comfortable. "What does it look like? I'm sitting down Potter. When you got that scar did it damage your brains?"

Harry glared at Malfoy. For a moment I thought it was going to be a repeat of a few minutes ago. Thankfully Harry spoke before the silence got too long. When he spoke it was in a low and dangerous tone. "Just don't touch her, and leave her alone."

"Why would I want to touch this nerdy bookworm? And what can you do to me?" Malfoy challenged.

Before Harry could answer, Neville jumped in. "in case you have forgotten ferret boy, Harry is the one who single handedly brought down Voldemort. He knows more spells than you could imagine. And he has five loyal friends who would fight with him. One of us just happens to be the brightest witch of our age. Probably in the world. And if you haven't forgotten, the six of us just happen to be the exact people who defeated your father in the department of mysteries. But if you want to fight us then go ahead, be my guest." Neville finished confidently. He defiantly had grown up sense we first met. He had gotten a lot better with his wand, and had gained enough confidence to stand up for himself and his friends. He even stood up to Voldemort.

"As much as I would love to duel you and your pathetic excuse for friends, it will have to wait till we get to Hogwarts. The trolley lady took my wand until the train arrives at the school." He replied lazily.

Harry obviously thought this was getting out of hand. He took out his wand and said, "That's enough," to Malfoy and Ron before casting 'muffliato' on Malfoy.

"What the hell did you do to me Potter?" Malfoy said enraged. We would have responded, but we knew it wouldn't do any good. Harry had cast one of the spells he had found in the half blood prince's book. It would cause any unwanted listeners to only hear a ringing in their ears. I didn't agree with the 'princes' ways, but as time went on the spells and helpful hints proved to be rather useful.

"Was that really necessary?" I gave harry a disapproving glance. I didn't think we needed that spell, as this wasn't a life or death situation like at the burrow when talking about the horcruxes.

"Maybe not, but I didn't want to spend the rest of the train ride fighting with him." Harry explained as he placed his wand back into his pocket.

"Thank you Harry, he was disturbing my reading. This really is interesting." Luna said in her usual dreamy voice. She had pulled out one of her father's quibblers, and looked very lost in the magazine.

"I'm not stupid am I?" Neville's voice came out shaky.

"Am I really a slut?" Ginny looked stunned, like she didn't know how to react.

I looked around the compartment. Malfoy was leaning against the window, looking very pissed. Obviously he would be of no use. Luna was too lost in what she was reading to be paying any attention. I knew from experience that Ron would only manage to make them somehow feel worse. Harry looked uncomfortable. He didn't like counseling others; it somehow ended in them comforting him. Which left me. _Why am I always the one who has to do this? One day I am going to run out of good things to say._

"Neville you are not stupid. You were smart to not join Voldemort, you were smart to kill the snake, and smart to continue Dumbledore Army last year." He looked better, so I faced Ginny. "And you are most defiantly not a slut. Yes you have had a lot of boyfriends, but so what? It's not like you used them then dumped them like last night's trash. The dated you because they liked you, not because they wanted sex. You two are honestly going to believe Malfoy? He is a Slytherin; he will say whatever he can to hurt you. He doesn't care if it's a lie, he will use it against you. So just forget about what he said, because none of it is true.

"What would we do without you?" Ginny asked, smiling thankfully at me.

"Thank you Hermione, you always know what to say." Neville smiled at me.

"Well at least someone in this group can help." I glared playfully at Harry and Ron, they both looked down embarrassed.

The rest of the train ride was uneventful. The six of us just talked and ignored Malfoy. Harry still hadn't lifted the spell on Malfoy, who was still ignoring us and looking out the window. He probably would have left the spell on for days, that is if Ginny didn't start lecturing harry towards the end of the ride. Harry eventually lifted the spell when we were outside the castle gates.

0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000

"I would like to welcome you all to another year at Hogwarts." Headmistress McGonagall started her speech. It felt kind of weird not listening to Dumbledore welcome us home. "For those of you, who are new, welcome. I hope that you will find Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry like a home. If you have any questions you can ask the older students or any of us adults. For those who are not new, I am glad you have returned here after certain events. I would like to assure you that the school has been rebuilt, and is perfectly safe. However, to make sure that it stays safe and we don't have another repeat of last year, the staff and I have agreed on a few changes. One not so huge change is allowing the seventh years from last year join us for another year to make up for what they have missed due to recent events.

The second change some of you might not like. However we adults agree that it would be good for you. It will help to unite the four houses so that there may be friendships among the houses, instead of the long time rivalry. It will help to understand those from other houses, so as not to have prejudice and hate between you. We have created a list of who will be partners with whom. There will be no changing of partners. We have placed you with them because that is what we feel will benefit you the most. From now on, you will spend every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with your assigned partners. You must stay with them all day, with the exception of meals and sleep. If we find that you are not with your assigned partner for the day in between the end of breakfast to the start of dinner, you can expect a detention. You will have three different partners, one from each of the other houses. The lists will be posted in your dorm rooms. Your classes have been modified so that you can attend the same class together, and in your classes you are expected to sit with your partner. This will be called the 'buddy system.' That being said, there are no other things that we need to discuss tonight. Enjoy your meal, and welcome back. The 'buddy system' will start tomorrow."

I noticed not once during the entire speech had McGonagall used the word 'war.' She probably didn't want to alarm the first years. Throughout dinner there where whispers of who wanted to be partners with who, and who they would murder if they were stuck with this person. Nobody seemed to completely hate the idea yet, then again we would have to wait for dinner to be over before we could see who we would be with for the year.

Everyone jumped out of their seats and ran to the common rooms. Harry, Ron, and Neville, ran to the boys dorm rooms as Ginny, Lavender, Parvati, and I ran to the room we shared. I grabbed the paper and tore it from the door before running back to the common room closely followed by my friends. There we waited and caught our breaths while we waited for the boys.

Once we saw them we gave them a moment to breath. "Alright you guys show us first." Ginny suggested. Harry held out the list in front of him while the rest of us surrounded him.

**Buddy system partners**

**Gryffindor****Huffelpuff****Ravenclaw****Slytherin**

**(Monday) (Tuesday) (Wednesday)**

**Harry Potter Susan Bones Terry Boot Millicent Bulstrode**

**Ron Weasley Megan Jones Padma Patil Blaise Zabini **

**Neville Longbottom Ernie Macmillan Mandy Brocklehurst Daphne Greengrass**

"Oh just wonderful" the three sighed in sync. "Now show us yours." Harry demanded. I turned the page over and looked at it for the first time.

**Buddy system partners**

**Gryffindor****Huffelpuff****Ravenclaw****Slytherin**

**(Monday) (Tuesday) (Wednesday)**

**Lavender Brown Wayne Hopkins Michael Corner Pansy Parkinson**

**Ginny Weasley Zacharias Smith Luna Lovegood Theodore Nott**

**Hermione Granger Hannah Abbott Anthony Goldstein Draco Malfoy**

As the last name on the paper was read, all my friends looked at me stunned. They were all thinking the same thing. _Malfoy, really? Are the professors high or something? Why would they even think that they would be able to last one day, let alone a year together?_

_Great. Just bloody perfect. _I thought_. Well, this year defiantly is going to be interesting._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize. J. K. Rowling does, and she once said that if she were to be a teacher at Hogwarts, she would teach Charms. If she had a job in the wizarding world, she would write spell books.**

**A/N: thanks to HanaithsFury for reviewing and thank you to the people who added this story to their favorites list or their story alert lists. Remember, reviews make me happy.**

**What Could Have Been****Chapter 5**

**Hermione POV**

**Monday**

Breakfast was almost over. Most of the students were running around the great hall trying to find their buddy for the day. I was standing near the doors with Hannah, Harry and Susan, Ron and Megan, Neville and Ernie, Ginny and Zacharias, and Lavender and Wayne. So far the buddy system wasn't too horrible. Huffelpuff seemed to be nice. I knew that to befriend them it would benefit me, for Huffelpuff's were loyal to those the cared for.

Susan Bones was a member of Dumbledore's army, so she wasn't a complete stranger. Her red hair fell in waves and went just below the shoulders. Although she wore no makeup, she had natural beauty. Megan Jones had black hair which had a slight wave to it. Se was kind of plain looking but she had a kind face. Ernie Macmillan was very handsome with his dirty blonde hair. It was good length, enough to blow in the wind without being long enough to cover his eyes. Zacharias Smith's hair was a few shades lighter than Ernie, and his hair was a little shorter. He was thin, but not scrawny. Wayne Hopkins was also good looking. He had inch long dark hair, great smile, and a mysterious look to his eyes. As for my partner, Hannah Abbott, she was drop dead gorgeous. She had long straight beach blonde hair. Most of it was pulled into a ponytail, although allowing some of it to frame her pretty face. She wore make up, but not enough to make her look like a whore. She also dressed reasonably, not like all the other sluts in the school. Plus, she was also smart. I had to admit I was jealous of her. I could tell by Ginny's reaction, that she was too.

Since we were hanging with the Gryffindors today, I suggested that next week we hang out with their Huffelpuff friends before class to make it even. "Oh no need for that," replied Zacharias.

"Yeah we three," Wayne pointed to himself, Susan, and Megan, "Have been friends since the train ride on first year.

"Same with us," Ernie pointed to himself, Hannah, and Zacharias.

"And ever since third year the six of us have all been friends." Susan gestured to all the Huffelpuff's standing with us. They all nodded in response.

"So thanks for the offer, but we are perfectly comfortable with this group." Hannah smiled a friendly smile at us. They defiantly seemed nice. I could tell that we would be great friends after we got to know each other a little more. I smiled back.

The bell rang, so the twelve of us left for class. We headed up the many stars to get to the divination tower. We got there a few minutes early, so we had the entire classroom to ourselves. We took the two middle rows, the Gryffindors sat on the left while our Huffelpuff partners sat on our right. This way we were with our partners so as not to get in trouble, while having a friend from the same house either in front or behind us.

Just after we had decided on the seating arrangements, the rest of the class came filling in. after everyone had sat down, the door to the teachers office opened. I was surprised to see a new teacher, not the old bat Trelawney. The new teacher came to the front of the class. She looked to be in her mid thirties with shoulder length brown hair highlighted blonde.

"Hello class. My name is Professor Tiffany Vivian. I'm sorry you didn't see me at the feast yesterday, I had important family matters that I couldn't miss. It was also unexpected, so I didn't have time to reschedule. Anyway, I will be your new teacher as your old one has retired. I am going to be teaching you something new this year. I understand that you think that divination is only to predict the future, but there are many other uses. It can also tell the past, and what could have been. This is very helpful to time travelers, of those who use a time turner, it can allow them to see if they went back in time to change something, how much of an impact it would have. Another not so well known use of divination is to read a person's mind. This is difficult to do, which is why legilimency is more common."

"It has also come to my understanding that you think that the only ways to do this are with crystal balls and tea leafs. They do work, however they are not as accurate as the ways I will teach you. The crystal ball made from smoke is far better than the glass one. And you must cast the right spell on the tea leaves to connect them with the person drinking, otherwise you could be reading anyone's future. There are also ways to tell by using cards, although it is not as simple as you might think. There are also a number of spells and potions hat could be used to help."

The rest of the lesson she gave us a brief history of divination, and its many uses. She told us that we didn't need to have a certain gift to be able to do divination, we just needed to believe in the magic within us and make sure that our bodies were calm throughout the process. At the end of class, she gave everyone a sheet of parchment that had all the information that we had covered that day, saying that there would be no need to take notes in the class, she would have a copy for us every day.

We headed to our next class, which was Ancient Runes, chatting excitedly with our partners about the class.

"This is going to be so much fun! And the new teacher seems great." Hannah told me happily.

"I know. For the first time I was actually able to get through that class without getting in a fight with the teacher." I replied with just as much enthusiasm.

"We will get to be able to tell the past, and I get to read your mind."

"No more fake prophesies about how Harry will die in three days."

"No more trying to figure out what the tea leafs actually look like."

Hannah and I looked at each other for a moment before saying at the same time, "no more notes." We smiled and giggled together. Yes, I loved school. But I was normal, so even I hated having to take notes the whole class.

Ancient Runes was pretty easy. We just had a review of what we should already know, then Professor Bathsheda Babbling told us what we would be doing for the next unit. We didn't have to take notes in this class because it was just a review for the day. I was happy, Monday was so far going great.

Before heading to our respective tables for lunch we agreed to meet were we had earlier that morning to walk to Herbology. I sat with harry on one side and Lavender on the other. Across from us sat Ginny Neville and Ron. Lavender and I had become friends since I realized that I dint like Ron in that way and had apologized, she forgave me and apologized for going out of her what to make me jealous.

In Herbology we began to learn about healing. We were taught what plants could be used for what wound, and how to make them work. It was a nice change after having to learn for years how to plant them and take care of them.

After that the six of us walked down to the lake. We spread out three different picnic blankets so we could all fit. Neville, Ernie, Hannah, and I were on one. Lavender, Ginny, Wayne, and Zach had another. The last one was occupied by Harry, Susan, Ron, and Megan. We had brought a few chicken wings, sandwiches, and drinks to snack on. We talked about classes. After about an hour we all relaxed a little and became more comfortable with each other's company. Huffelpuff's were easy to get along with. We began to talk about our friends and families. We shared joyful stories of our past. It was nice to relax. As the year went on I knew most of our free time would be spent doing homework, so I relaxed and enjoyed one of the few times I would be permitted to be so carefree.

The Huffelpuff's smiled and waved goodbye before heading to their table and sitting together. As my friends and I headed to the Gryffindor table for diner, we wondered why the plates where empty. Usually they would already be filled and be ready for us to serve ourselves. But not tonight. McGonagall was probably going to give us a huge speech. I prepared myself. It turned out not to be so bad. It was only about a minute long. She told us that it would not be necessary to take notes this year. Anything we needed to know would be I our textbooks. The things that we would normally take note on would already be written out for us, and handed to us at the end of the lesson. I wasn't sure what had caused this change, but I was glad nonetheless. Since the war I had been more laid back about school. I realized that I didn't need to worry so much, as I already knew all of the curriculum. While school was still important, I wouldn't rush to get a report done ten minutes after it was assigned.

Back in the common room we discussed our partners.

"I like Hannah, she is fun, nice, and cares about school, and would do anything for her friends." I remembered her kind smile and thought _yes, we will defiantly be good friends. We have so much in common._

"Ernie is cool to. Great sense of humor, and his dad was murdered in the war so I can kind of relate to him." Neville added.

"Megan might be a little too serious for me. I swear she does not understand what a joke is." Ron complained and we all laughed. I hit him gently on the arm.

"That's not nice," but he couldn't take me seriously because I was laughing too.

"Well Susan is great. She is very understanding and nice." Harry changed back to the original topic.

"You only like her because she is hot. And besides, Hannah is way hotter than her." Ron said forgetting that Harry's girlfriend was in the room.

Lavender could tell that it was making Ginny uncomfortable so she joined the conversation. "You know who is hot, Wayne. He is kind, and a little mysterious. A major turn on. Although Zack does have those intense blue eyes."

"Yeah he has amazing eyes, but I think Ernie is better. Zach just kind of seems like he is a player, and Wayne, although very sexy, doesn't seem to take life as seriously as he should. Also, I love Ernie's hair. I guess I have a thing for blonds." I explained.

I could tell Ginny wanted to say something, but she wouldn't dare in front of Harry, who had his arm around her.

The rest of the evening went with Lavender and I debating which guy was hotter, while Neville and Ron discussed how drunk the girls would have to be to date them. Ginny and harry sat by the fire pretending not to silently be agreeing to the conversations around them.

**Tuesday**

Today was Ravenclaw buddy day. Breakfast had just about ended. Us Gryffindors where standing by the door to the great hall with Luna Lovegood and Padma Patil**. **Two boys were walking towards us. One had short black hair and grey eyes. The other had short blonde hair and blue eyes with a hint of grey. I recognized him as Anthony. Both were handsome and well build. They probably both played quittage.

"You're Hermione right?" said the blonde. I nodded. "Cool, I'm Anthony Goldstein, your partner from Ravenclaw." He smiled widely which caused me to give him a small smile in return.

"Nice to meet you. You look familiar, were you a prefect?" he nodded as we shook hands.

"Harry Potter? Hi I'm terry boot. I am honored to be your partner." The other boy said walking up to harry with no emotion. Harry smiled and returned the greeting.

A pretty girl with curly light brown hair and brown eyes filled with life came skipping towards us. "There you are Luna, I've been looking everywhere for you." she said happily as she hugged her friend.

Luna hugged her back and smiled as she said in her dreamy voice, "I'm terribly sorry, I guess I forgot to tell you where we would be." She turned from the girl and faced Neville. "Neville, this is Mandy Brocklehurst. She is my friend and will be your partner."

Mandy faced Neville. He held out his hand, but she jumped into his arms and gave him a friendly hug. "It's so great to meet you in person! You chopped off the head of the snake right?" Neville was so surprised by the hug that all he could do was nod. "Oh my gosh that is so cool. You are like a superhero or something." She smiled a wide smile and Neville looked at the ground to hide his blush. Mandy giggled. "You are so cute when you blush," and hugged him again before hugging the rest of the Gryffindors in greeting.

"Don't worry, she acts like that towards everybody," Luna explained to Neville who was still so shocked he could hardly move. He just nodded in response.

A boy who looked just kike Snape did as a kid minus the greasy hair tapped Lavender on the shoulder. "Hey I was told that you were Lavender Brown, and if that is true, then I am your partner Terry Boot." Lavender smiled at him.

We headed to arithmancy. Nothing had changed with that class. Same teacher, same ways of teaching. Then we went to history of magic. The room had a complete makeover. It was no longer boring desks and dusty books with a teacher who had been dead for who knows how long. The walls were now brightly painted will fun little things to help us to remember the basics of the unit. The chairs were all pushed against one wall leaving the majority of the room empty. But the biggest change was the teacher. He looked like he was in his twenties, and he looked like a stereotypical surfer with his blonde hair and deep tan. Half of the girls in the class where making googly eyes at him.

"Hello kids! I am Professor Sebastian Anderson, and I will be you're new teacher. I have looked at your grades from last year, and not all of them are good. So I am going to introduce a new teaching technique. Instead of me telling you everything, for each unit you will be getting into groups with however many people are required. You and your group will be given a script. You will memorize the script and act it out at the end. I believe it will be easier to learn the events of history when you see it, not when it is told to you. This will also help you to understand what times where like back then, as you will have to place yourself in your characters shoes, and dress like them while performing. I hope you all find these methods to your liking, now, let us begin."

"Well this should be fun." Anthony said as he winked at me.

For the entire class we worked on how the rest of the year would be. Professor Anderson would say a character and give us a brief description of them, then have us act them out. Eventually he started naming events and allowed us to choose who to be and act out the event. It was actually very fun. Way better than this class had ever been before.

Lunch cane and went, and soon it was time for charms. Anthony was surprisingly good in this subject. "You really are very talented Anthony," I complimented.

"That's only because I have so much natural charm, that the magical kind comes easy for me." He joked and smiled brightly at me. We both laughed a little. "but my charm is no match for your fantastic acting skills." I looked at him to find a shy smile on his face. It caused me to blush. He started laughing hysterically.

"What is so funny?" I demanded.

"Nothing, it's just so easy to make you blush." He replied through his laughter. I rolled my eyes and continued the charm I was working on before.

After class we headed down to the lake again. We sat in the shade of a huge tree talking and relaxing. When the silence had gone on too long, Mandy was always there to make us smile and feel energetic. I found myself enjoying their company almost as much as I had liked the Hufflepuff's.

**Wednesday**

The past two days had been great, I enjoyed the other houses so much that I had almost forgot how mean Slytherin could be. They caught up to us about a minuet before we where supposed to leave for class. They stopped talking the second the got near us. They didn't say a word, just stood in front of their partner.

Millicent Bulstrode, with her jet black chin length hair and evil glare on her face, stood in front of Harry. Blaise Zabini stopped in front of Ron. He had dark skin and a shaved head. Daphne Greengrass looked like a slut with her perfect dark hair, way too much make up, low top and short skirt. She winked at Neville. Pansy Parkinson stood in front of Lavender. She had reddish brown hair that went just past her shoulders. She had a pretty face, without being a whore. When the rest of her house wasn't looking at her she would cast us all a small smile. Ginny was trying not to stare at Theodore Nott, but with his fit body, handsome face, and great short brown hair, it was hard not to. Then there was Malfoy. He stood in front of me, starring. It was making me uncomfortable. He kept starring at me like he was trying to figure something out. He was also the only Slytherin besides pansy who didn't look like the rest of the day was going to be a living hell.

"Well Gryffindorks, what are you waiting for? Start walking to Defense Against the Dark Arts." Millicent spat. We glared at her for the nickname, and started walking. When we were within twenty feet of the classroom the Slytherin's all ran in. they probably would have earlier, but they didn't want to get in trouble. Pansy was the only one that stayed behind with us.

"Sorry about them. They really aren't that bad once you get to k now them. It's just that all their lives the have had to act like they hate everyone that isn't Slytherin, and it's a little hard for them to change. So don't take any of it to heart." Then pansy turned and faced Harry. "I really am sorry about how I acted during the war. It's not that I wanted to hand you over to Voldemort. But my family was already in trouble with him and I just thought that if I was the one to make you go to him that he wouldn't kill my father and he would stop using crucio on my mother. I am sorry, I didn't really want you to die. You don't have to accept my apology, I just wanted you to know that I am sorry." With her pleading look, and all the emotion in her eyes and voice, I could tell she was telling the truth.

Harry was so shocked he could barely speak. I think all of us were shocked by Pansy's confession. I mean, since when have Slytherin's apologized? And especially to Gryffindors? "I… I understand… I mean, family first right? ...I probably would have done the same thing if it where my parents." Harry spluttered out.

Pansy smiled happily and we walked into the classroom and took our seats next to our partners. The classroom seamed larger than normal.

"Good morning class. I am your new teacher, Professor Joseph Samson." He was in his mid forties, with short dark hair streaked with grey. He was thin, but not muscular. "Due to recent events this year we will be working on dueling. In the past you have practices spells, but hardly ever on an opponent. So we will be dueling each other. You will not have to stay with your partner all the time. I will allow you to go up against different people to test your strengths and weaknesses. You will be permitted to use any spell and cures except the unforgivable curses. You will drink a potion before you duel to prevent any major injuries. We will start dueling in a few weeks. For your first few lessons you will be working on dummies." He waved his wand and stuffed dummies appeared in front of everyone. "They will fight back, but not too much. These will help you to warm up and review the spells you plan on using." As he said this the dummies started to stand up. "To start a new round with them, just say 'restart'. This will be used when one of you has won. It is not to be used because you need a break. Now you may begin."

I laughed to myself quietly. Like a fake dummy could beat me. As I thought this, I didn't notice the thing take out a 'wand', it was more like a chopstick, until it was about to cast a spell. At the last second I noticed what was going on. "Expelliarmus," I whispered causing it to drop the chopstick. As it was distracted trying to pick it up I cast 'expulso' to blow it up. As the chunks of the dummy flew everywhere, I noticed a lot of people looking at me.

"Well that was magnificent! Ten points to Gryffindor for being the first to succeed. Congratulations."

I looked down trying to hide my blush at the praise. When I looked up I saw Malfoy starring at me. He gave me a small nod, and then went back to his opponent. The class continued like that. Every time the dummy was defeated professor Samson would give points based on the creativity and skill of the final spell. By the end of class Gryffindor had fifty three points and Slytherin had forty eight.

The bell rang signaling the end of class, and together we walked in silence to muggle studies. I wondered if they put Slytherin's with Gryffindor's together to learn about muggles for a reason. We walked in and took our seats. The only Slytherin that looked interested in this class was Pansy. The rest looked extremely bored, like they would rather die than be here. I thought back to what Pansy had said, and wondered if it was only because they were so used to pretending to hate muggle borns because they were to afraid of what their parents and Voldemort would do to them if they didn't.

The teacher turned out to be the twin sister of the one who had recently died. Apparently this year we were going to learn about American muggles. At the end of each unit we would take a trip to the United States and visit the place where we had just learned about. We would get to see the monuments in person, and tour famous museums. According to the professor, this would help us to understand them more. We would see things from their prospective. It sounded fun. Of corse it would be way better if Malfoy wasn't my partner. He hadn't said a word all day. Just what I needed, someone who wouldn't stop staring at me to ruin my trip to the Statue of Liberty.

I was glad when lunch came around. I was more relaxed not that I wasn't in Malfoy's company. Although I could feel his eyes on by back continuously throughout lunch, I tried my best to ignore it.

In potions, Slughorn had us work in partners. We were supposed to make wound-cleansing potion for the D.A.D.A. class. Malfoy and I sat near our caldron as we listened to Slughorn tell us how long the potion making process should be, what page of our books to look in, and what ingredients would be used. When he was done I went to the storage room to collect what ingredients would be needed. When I returned, I dropped the ingredients on the desk and sat down.

"Thank you." I looked at Malfoy dumfounded. _Did he just thank me? What has this world come to? Next thing you know basilisks will be our best friends and dementors will give us hope._ "Don't look so surprised Granger, if we are going to have to spend one day a week with each other, we might as well try not to rip the others throat out. I'm not suggesting that we become best friend or anything, hell we don't even have to like each other. Just don't use magic on me, and in return I will try not to piss you off enough to punch my beautiful face." I nodded dumbly.

We were at our usual spot by the lake, under the tree. At least the Gryffindors did. The only Slytherin's that were with us where Pansy and Theodore. The rest were sitting far away from us. We could see them, but not hear them. We sat in silence for about tem minuets.

"You know if you don't want us here, we can go over to them." Theodore said pointing over his shoulder.

"Yeah, if we are making you uncomfortable, just say so." Pansy said this way nicer than Theodore did.

"Don't think that. It's just we aren't used to being around Slytherins is all" Ginny said quickly.

"Yeah, also we don't know you really well so we don't know what you like to talk about." Lavender added.

"I like quidditch." Theo suggested. Harry, Ron, and Neville smiled. Within seconds they were in a deep conversation about who would be playing in the next quidditch world cup.

"See? We aren't all that bad." Pansy smiled hopefully.

I smiled. "I guess you are right. We just need to warm up to each other a little more."

"I totally agree. Not all of you are Tom Riddle's." Ginny said enthusiastically. She had liked Pansy since the moment she apologized to Harry. Lavender had started liking her somewhere in muggle studies. I decided that if they could accept he, then so could I. I might even be able to put up with Malfoy by the end of the year. I glanced over at him for a second. He was talking to Blaise and Daphne while looking at us. I briefly wondered what they were saying about us before I was pulled into a conversation about the changes in the classes. We were all exited to go to the United States.

I liked Pansy a lot more after I found out that in her third year she began to question what her parents had taught her from birth. By the time forth year had ended she hated Voldemort, and had no prejudice against muggle borns. Of corse she would have never said any of this before now, in fear of being tortured and disowned. As we talked more I realized that pretty much all of the Slytherins had been beaten and tortured at least once in their lives.

As night came and I lay in my bed I thought about everything from that day. It seemed that all the Slytherin's where living a lie based on fear. And I thought _maybe they aren't pure evil. Maybe, just maybe they were just misunderstood__._


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: what do you mean I do not own Harry Potter? I own the fan fiction though, that has to count for something!**

**A/N: sorry for taking so long to update guys, I have been busy studying for a bunch of huge tests. I will be taking them over the next two weeks, so I probably won't be updating for a while. So sorry, don't hate me! Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!**

**What Could Have Been****Chapter 6**

**Draco POV**

**Wednesday night**

The Hufflepuff's at least gave us a chance. They tried to set aside the past judgment, although it was obvious that it was hard. They would try to smile and act polite. The Ravenclaw's wouldn't even look at us without a look of pure hate or disgust. They only spoke to us in class, and even then it was only a few words filled with hate. The Gryffindors were a whole different story. After a while they started to warm up to us. They were trying to understand us. I bet it had something to do with what Pansy said to them before class.

I had watched in amazement at how easily she had gotten along with them. _How does she do it? How can she make friends so easily? Her life has been just as hard as mine, if not more. So how can she allow them into her life so easily?_ She seemed to be the only one who could get along with all of the houses. True she had never called Granger a mudblood, but then again since third year she began doubting all the blood prejudice stuff. At first I thought she was crazy, but eventually she got me to agree with her. We still had to act like we hated them, in fear of our life's and our families.

But now Voldemort was gone. We were free to live our own lives. But it was so hard to change everything we had spent our whole lives pretending to be. It was so strange to be able to have a choice in our actions. It was amazing how quickly Pansy could adjust. How quickly she could be herself. But most shocking was how everyone seemed to accept her so quickly.

Maybe it was because how open she was. Maybe it was how she could immediately see the good in people, even if over the years she had to pretend only the bad existed. Maybe it was because how easily she could trust someone, as soon as she saw they were worth trusting. That was the problem with most of us Slytherins, it was not in our nature to trust. We lived lives based on fear, and only marrying and having kids to keep purebloods alive.

I often wondered how pansy had ended up in Slytherin. She should have ended up in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. She was a good person, and a great friend. Of corse she wasn't a real friend for me. Over the years I had learned not to let anyone become too close to you. They would find your weakness, and use it against you.

Pansy told me towards the end of fifth year she had asked the hat to place her in Slytherin. Sometimes she regretted it, seeing as how everyone expects us Slytherins to be just as bad as Voldemort. But she, like the rest of my house, made a decision based on fear. She knew that her family had been in Slytherin for decades. And she also knew that if she didn't live up to her parent's expectations, she would be punished.

I just thought that it was so amazing how quickly she could forget the past. It was amazing how quickly she was able to start over. And I knew it would be hard, but from now on, I will try my best to like her. I will try to let the others know the real me. I will try to allow someone into my life. I will try to make my first real friend. And I _will_ make up for the past.

**Hermione POV**

**Thursday**

"Oh this will be so fun!"

"I can't wait!"

"What do you think I will be?"

"Is it related to our patronus?"

This and many more could be heard throughout the transfiguration room. Harry, Ron, Ginny, Lavender, Neville and I just sat in stunned silence. _Did we just here her correctly? Animagi?_ Soon we too, where engaged in conversation about the new topic. McGonagall had just announced that this year in transfiguration we would be working on becoming animagi. The room buzzed with excitement.

She waited a moment before demanding, "Silence. Now this is very advanced magic. We will spend the first few classes going over the basic information you will need. Then we will work on small little spells which will help you prepare the transformation of your bodies. It will be a few weeks before we actually attempt changing into your animal form. And even then it will take months to change for the first time, and even longer to master it. Now, on with the lesson. The magic of becoming an animagus was discovered in the early 1400's by the wizard…"

The rest of class we continued to learn about the discovery of an animagus. We were assigned a one page essay on why the magic was created. Class let out and my friends and I headed to lunch chatting happily.

"I bet you will be a stag harry, you know because of your dad and all." Neville said. "And because of your patronus."

I was about to explain but Ginny beat me to it. "Your patronus has nothing to do with your animagus form. The patronus shows what you feel and what makes you feel safe, the animagus body you have no control over. It is what comes naturally, and it represents your personality." She looked at me unsurely, and I smiled proudly. Finally I wasn't the only one of my friends that had a brain. Ron looked disappointed. "Damn, then that means Malfoy probably won't be a ferret then." Even though I thought it was mean of him to say that, I had to laugh with the others at the memory from fourth year. We took our usual seats at the Gryffindor table and began to pile our plates with food. After a few minutes of silence, harry spoke up. "At least classes seem to be not a boring this year." "True, and divination seems like it might actually be useful, not a load of crap." Lavender said. I had to agree with her on that, this was another reason I had decided to like the girl. After you get to know her, she really isn't that bad. And she cared about her schoolwork, which came as a surprise to me. "Yeah… who would have thought I would actually be looking forward to history of magic and transfiguration." Ron said between mouthfuls of food. Ginny made a disgusted sound. "Honestly Ron, would it kill you to swallow your food first?" Ron smiled and let out a happy, "it could, you never know!" Purposefully spitting half of it on Ginny.

"Why you little…" Ginny raised her voice. I could tell she was only pretending to be angry, but the disgust at being covered in partially chewed food was real.

"Little? I believe that it is you that is the youngest." Ron waved his fork in her face. Ginny was about to respond, but stopped immediately as she tried to hide her giggles.

"Have it your way then," she smiled at her brother. Everyone around burst out laughing, we couldn't hold it in anymore. However it wasn't because of the two siblings fighting. While everyone else had been looking back and forth between the two, I had waved my wand under the table. Ron's hair was now rainbow neon stripes. The green and yellow were so bright I was positive they would glow in the dark. And just to top it off, I made sure it sparkled with enchanted glitter.

"Aw come on guys, we fight all the time. I thought you would be used to it by now." Ron looked at us confused.

"It's just funny is all." Neville, being the only one who could form complete words, managed to get the sentence out. No one wanted Ron to find out about his makeover, so we all stayed silent about the truth.

I managed to catch Luna's eye from the Ravenclaw table. She smiled at me and gave me thumbs up. Dean Thomas looked over at us from a few seats down, to see what all the noise was. He almost ruined it to. "Ron mate you…"he was cut off from his words and laughter by the glares sent to him from five different people. "Um… looks like you have a letter?" he said a little uncertainly.

Dean was right. The mail had begun to arrive. I could see Ron's owl making his way towards us. A letter was dropped in front of him and another in front of Ginny. I got the _Daily Profit_, and gave the owl in front of me a piece of bacon. The last letter to come was for Lavender. Ron and Ginny just had letters from their parents, checking up on them. The _Daily Profit_ didn't have anything that caught my eye so we all turned to Lavender who had not moved since receiving her letter. We glanced at her curiously. Her name was clearly printed in neat script on the envelope. I didn't understand until she turned it over. It was sealed with the Slytherin crest. Slowly she opened it.

Lavender,

I know this will come as a shock for me to be writing you, and I am sorry for that. I just wanted to let you and all of your friends know how wonderful it was for me to spend time with you all yesterday. You were very kind to me, and I am grateful for that. I would just like to say one more thing. Please tell Harry that I truly am sorry for the final battle. Let him know that if there is anything I can do to help you or any of your friends at any time, just let me know. I would love to help. I want to make it up to you and prove that I am not your enemy. If you need to get payback with a prank or something, I'm sure Draco would want to help as well. So I am sorry, and just let me know if you need anything, see you on Wednesday, bye!

-Pansy Parkinson

The letter was passed around so everyone could read it. When it was my turn I was so shocked. She really was going out of her way to make us see that she doesn't want to be enemies. When the letter was read by all of us we turned and faced the Slytherin table. It only took us a few seconds to find pansy. She looked like she had been watching us from the time we got the letter. She had a small, hopeful smile on her face. We smiled back, a little uncertainly, but it was enough for her as she visibly relaxed and lowered her gaze to her food as she began eating.

Malfoy, who was sitting next to her, looked confused at her strange behavior. Then he lifted his eyes to where Pansy was looking seconds before. He seemed to get even more confused as to why six Gryffindors were staring at him. He probably noticed Ron's hair then, because his storm grey eyes lit up with amusement. He whispered something to Pansy, then stood up and left the great hall.

On his way out he stopped by us. "You look beautiful, you know that?" he said in a teasing way, looking at Ron. "Did you do something different? It looks very nice. Rainbow and glitter. We all knew you would come out of the closet one day. You might actually have a chance of being in a relationship this year. Of corse he will be way better than you." By now my friends where laughing too hard to notice the wink he sent at me before leaving.

The whole great hall had heard what Malfoy had said, as it had become silent when they saw him approaching him. Ron looked horrified. "Did you just hear that! Malfoy is gay and in love with me!" he looked about ready to pass out. At the last statement the whole student body burst out laughing. Partially because some of them had just noticed his hair, and partially because of how stupid Ron was being. The professors were laughing as well, even McGonagall tried to hide her smile.

Over all it had been a fun day. We continued the rest of our classes. Amazingly the teachers as well as the students didn't say anything else about Ron's hair. It seemed to be some sort of unspoken agreement. It wasn't until after dinner that Ron himself noticed.

"Shit! Look what the Slytherin bloody Malfoy did to me! It must have been during lunch! That bastard, he will pay!" he yelled as soon as he got out of the bathroom and looked in a mirror. "Hermione, the smartest, most beautiful, kindest, wonderful, trustworthy person I have ever met. Tell me you can fix this!" after a few minutes of him saying every good word he could think of, and begging at my feet, literally, I gave in and began speaking.

"Oh Ron, if only I could help you, but I don't think I can. You see, the spell must be removed by the person who cast it, no one else. It will where off in three days though." I replied in mock concern. Ron, not being the smartest there could be, thought I was dead serious.

"Three days? I am doomed!" with that he ran upstairs.

"You realize that you cast it, not Malfoy?" Harry said from his spot on the couch. He raised an eyebrow at me.

I smiled mischievously. "Yes I know, but he doesn't." Harry smiled back, and I joined him on the couch. We began our transfiguration essays before retiring for the night.

**Draco POV**

"You told them what?" I screamed in her face. We had just finished dinner and were now in the common room. Pansy had just finished telling me about her letter.

"It's not that big a deal, I just said you might want to help." She tried to plead with me.

"Why not Theo, or Blaise? Why me?"

"Because I know you more." She collapsed in one of the comfy chairs.

"So that gives you the right to tell them I would do something without even asking me?" I knew I had hurt her, the look of guilt on her face looked like it would never leave.

"I'm sorry Draco, it's just that I know how much you want to change. This could be a good opportunity for you." Her voice was barely audible.

I felt horrible. I was making such a big deal about something so stupid. I knew she was right. I ran my hand through my hair and sank to my knees in front of her so our heads where at the same level. I lowered my voice to what I thought was a soothing tone. "I know you where just trying to help. I'm sorry for exploding on you. Just ask next time ok? I'll be ok with it, I just need to know before you start making promises about me.

She raised her head and looked me in the eye. She gave me a small smile and I knew we were going to be ok. After all, she was the closest thing I had to a friend, I could not afford to lose her.

But as I lay in bead that night a bunch of memories came flooding back about a certain brown haired girl. Not all of them were pleasant. As a matter of fact, hardly any of them were. And I couldn't help but think; _maybe I want her as a friend._

**A/N: I know, it's slow going, but it will get there. This is a dramione fiction. Thanks for reading, and PLEASE REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: ****if I owned Harry Potter, would I be writing this fanfic? No I wouldn't. get real people.**

**A/N****: So sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I had a bunch of huge tests and couldn't find the time to write. Anyways thanks to all the wonderful people who have added this story to their alerts or favorites list. Also thanks to **_**LouiseSwain**_** for the review, and to anyone who has reviewed any of the chapters. YOU ALL ROCK! And too all of you silent readers, it doesn't hurt to review. Let me know if you like it, or hate it, any sort of feedback is appreciated. Sorry for rambling, now on with the story! Enjoy!**

**What Could Have Been****Chapter 7**

**Hermione POV**

**Monday**

Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Lavender, and I made our way to the Hufflepuff's. They had already finished breakfast and were waiting buy the door for us. Wayne winked at Lavender, who started giggling. Ginny and I rolled our eyes, although I could see Ginny glancing at Zack when she thought Harry wasn't looking.

When we were a few feet away, Hannah ran to me and gave me a quick friendly hug. "Oh Hermione, save me from these morons." I gave her a what-did-they-do-now look. She replied, almost pleadingly, "Ernie thought it would be funny to make it rain ice cream and chocolate syrup!"

Megan, Wayne, Zack, Susan, and Hannah all glared at him while the Gryffindors looked amused. It was then that I noticed all of our partners wore hats with their hair tucked into them. I slowly took of Hannah's and had to try not to laugh. Her hair, typically blonde, was a gross grey-brown color. It was tangled with melted ice cream of all flavors, sticky with the syrup, and had brightly colored sprinkles scattered in her hair.

Ernie looked down, embarrassed. "Well, it only got us, not the entire great hall so I don't see why you all are so mad. It's not like I got us a detention. And besides, Susan said she was in the mood for ice cream, and there wasn't any on the table, so I tried to make some." At the last statement Susan dropped her glare and looked away. I thought I had also seen a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Well come on, let's get you to a bathroom and clean you up." Ginny said as she grabbed Susan's wrist and began to lead her out of the great hall while Lavender did the same to Megan. Hannah and I looked at each other, shrugged, and followed them out.

As soon as we found an empty bathroom Megan began speaking. "This feels so gross, my clothes are all sticky and my hair is a mess." The other Hufflepuff's just nodded in response.

"Still, I think I'd rather have been drenched in ice cream then have rainbow sparkly hair." Lavender spoke up, referring to Ron's hair, which had just wore off yesterday.

Ginny, Lavender, and I cast _aguamenti_ on the other girl's hair to rid it of the chocolate. Then we cast a quick _scourgify_ to clean their clothes.

Susan smiled. "I heard about that. Good job Hermione."

"Yes, it was really clever, when did you learn to do that?" Megan agreed.

Hannah got an evil glint in her eyes as she added, "perhaps you could do something like that to Ernie, as revenge."

Ginny nodded the same look on her face. "Defiantly, but it will have to be way worse." They looked at each other and smiled mischievously. Suddenly I was very glad I was not Ernie, because if I knew Ginny, and I did, and combine her with Hannah's brains, Ernie would go through hell with the revenge prank. I inwardly groaned because I knew that whatever they came up with, I would be the one to cast the spells.

A few minutes later, we exited the bathroom and went into the hall. The boys were in front of us, with their backs facing us. They where ice cream free, obviously they had done the same thing we did.

"What is taking them so long? What could they possibly be doing?" Ernie's voice came out a little nervous.

"Beats me. Probably planning how best to skin you alive and hang it up for the whole school to see." Although we couldn't see Zack's face, I could tell he was grinning.

Wayne patted Ernie on the back. "Well on the bright side, you cast the spell so I'm off the hook."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" Ernie practically growled.

Ron spoke up then. "Dude, you are screwed. My sister is on their side and she takes after Fred and George, she can be quite the little devil when she wants to be."

"Hey, don't insult my girlfriend, besides its Hermione you need to look out for. Especially when she is angry of wants revenge." Harry said, while looking at the pale faced Ernie.

The girls and I looked at each other, and we silently agreed on the same thing. Together we walked up to the boys, with evil smiled on our faces.

"Thank you for those wonderful complements boys." I said, looking at Harry.

"Yes and I am more of a devile than you would have ever thought." Ginny faced Ron and watched as his eyes grew wide.

"And Wayne, no you are not off the hook." Lavender looked almost apologetic, but she kept her composter so as not to ruin the charade.

Susan looked at all the boys, "none of you are free."

Hannah did the same. "I mean, why waste a perfectly wonderful prank if only one person will be affected by it? That wouldn't be any fun now would it?"

Megan finished up by saying, "and if you think you will get off easy just because you didn't do the spell, think again." She suddenly stopped the evil eyes and became unusually happy. "Well, time for ancient runes, see you boys there. Ta!"

With that we pushed in front of the boys and started walking to class. The boys were frozen in fear for a few seconds. They all gulped in sync with the same look in their eyes before following us. They stayed a good few feet away until entering the classroom where they were forced to sit with us.

Throughout the class the boys were unusually silent. They only spoke to answer yes of no questions, and their muscles would not relax. They had their chairs scooted as far away from us as possible. When Professor Babbling was not looking, Hannah and I would pass notes to each other and occasionally look at each other with an evil grin. Through our peripheral vision we could see the boys stiffen and pale more every time we did that. _Merlin it was so fun to mess with them! Now the only thing we need is an actual prank for them…_

We walked to our next class which was divination. Each girl walked very close to at least one boy. We enjoyed their looks of discomfort. As we entered the classroom, we grabbed the boy's wrists and sat at a table boy-girl-boy-girl. Because of this we where partnered with the boys for the activity we would be doing. My partner was Ernie.

"Now that all of you have a partner, we may begin. For this class we will be looking into the past. You will be taught to look into the childhood of your partners. The steps are different than what you may have learned in previous years…" professor Vivian spent the next ten minutes going over instructions and doing a short demonstration before leaving the rest to us.

I faced Ernie. "How about you go first, Ernie dearest?" I said evilly. He gulped and slowly nodded his head, too scared to refuse.

He cast the spell with a shaky voice and sprinkled the magical powder on the crystal ball like what was instructed. He then grabbed one of my hands with his shaky one and looked into the crystal. I had to keep from rolling my eyes at how pathetically scarred he was. I glanced around the room and it seemed to be an unspoken agreement that the boys would go first. They all seemed to be in a similar state as Ernie.

"I-I see… you as a kid… yo-you liked books… um… I s-see your parents talking to you… your crying at whatever they s-said… and now… your p-packing… um… andnowyouareatHogwarts." He stuttered out most of it, hoping he didn't say the wrong thing. At the end he let it out in one breath and dropping my hand as quickly as possible.

I was shocked at first, listening to him describe my parents and their divorce. I was only seven at the time and I only understood that I would switch houses every few days. Over time my mother had remarried and I spent most of my time not at school in her house. I composed myself quickly; I didn't know him well enough to show weakness in front of him.

"I'm sorry; I didn't catch the last part. Could you repeat it?" my voice was laced with fake sweetness, which made him more scared. Of corse I had known what he meant, I just liked to watch him suffer. It was hilarious! I began to think that we shouldn't prank them, just make them think we will for a few more days. They have the funniest reactions to the simplest things.

"And now you are at Hogwarts." His voice was much clearer, although he still refused to make eye contact.

"Very good, now it is my turn." I said in the same voice. I cast the spell and sprinkled the powder on the crystal, and held out my hand. He slowly gave me his hand, like he thought I was going to break it or something.

"Let's see what kind of embarrassing things happened in your child hood, shall we?" I smiled innocently while he grew pale. I swear, if he got even the slightest bit paler, he would have looked like a vampire. I then turned my attention to the crystal ball.

My eyes lit up with amusement with the first image. "You look like you are about ten years old. You are unwrapping your mothers tampons ant throwing them at you younger sister claiming they are small ghosts come to haunt her." I had to keep myself from laughing out loud.

"Ok now you look like you are about five or six. You are with your parents at an outside concert. It's the middle of the day and it looks really warm. Right before the band starts playing you jump up on stage and start yelling, 'it's so hot, it's so hot'. Then you take of your shirt and throw it into the crowd."

Ernie looked down and was blushing from embarrassment. He tried to defend himself. "It was really hot. Like over 100 degrees."

The rest of class continued in a similar way. We mixed up the partners at one point and I was stuck with Zack. He handled things slightly better than Ernie, but not by much.

As we separated for lunch Ginny, Lavender, and I waved to the Hufflepuff boys, saying "see you soon," as innocently as possible. The Hufflepuff girls did the same to the Gryffindor boys.

Harry smiled as happily as he could, but we could all tell it was forced. As we sat down, he slowly placed his arm around Ginny's shoulder. "Ginny, my girlfriend, my love, my soul mate, the most beautiful, wonderful, amazing, brilliant, kind hearted person I have ever had the pleasure to meet. I love you so much. How are you today?"

I had to keep myself from letting out a snort. This was pathetic. Harry Potter, the chosen one, who single handedly defeated Voldemort, fought countless dementors and death eaters, was scared of a seventeen year old girl. Ginny and Lavender were probably thinking along the same lines based off of the looks of amusement in their eyes.

Ginny smiled brightly, her fake smile was a lot more convincing than Harry's. She was smiling so wide and innocently it was almost scary. When she spoke she used a voice that you would use for a puppy, or a small child. "Awe Harry, that is so sweet. You are so cute! And our plan will make you look just adorable." She then gave him a kiss on his cheek. Harry looked even more nervous than he did before.

"Are you saying that Ginny is more brilliant than me?"I shook my head as I continued in a voice of mock disappointment. "Harry, Harry, Harry that simply will not do. I thought you would know better than to insult my intelligence by now." My face instantly brightened with a smile similar to Ginny's on my face. "But don't worry, we will refresh your memory!" harry looked about ready to pass out.

And the rest of lunch continued in a similar manner. Every time one of the boys would say something, one of us girls would pretend to take offence to it. The boy in turn would try to reassure the girl, only to have another girl up against him. Neville was smart enough to only speak when spoken to, Ron wasn't so lucky. With his big mouth, he had a comment about almost everything that was said.

Herbology passed with no one talking, juts the occasional look from a girl, or whispers while pointing at them. The whispered conversations had absolutely nothing to do with the boys. It was mostly about life, or classes, or some other random subject. We just added the looks and finger pointing for affect. It was so easy to make then nervous. They boys didn't get a break from us until after class.

We went down to the lake, and as soon as we got there we separated. The boys were a good distance away; they couldn't hear us but could still see us. We girls sat in the usual spot under the tree. We took out our homework and began working on the essays assigned by the teachers we had today.

"Well this has been fun." Megan said with a small smile.

"Oh yes. I am defiantly going to miss this when it's over." Susan agreed, leaning against the tree trunk.

"Well, as great as it has been, I would like it if my boyfriend would actually talk to me." Ginny sounded a little sad, but I knew she wasn't ready for our charade to end just yet.

"Yeah, I kind of do miss their loud voices, but it is cute to see how nervous they are." Lavender said, of corse she would be thinking about how cute they are.

Hannah nodded in agreement. "So, does anyone actually have a plan for a prank?"

Lavender, Ginny, and I looked at each other with a knowing grin. After a minuet of this I broke the silence. "No, but we do know who would be willing to help. And trust me; they will have quite a few ideas for us."

**Tuesday**

"It's so wonderful to see you all again!" a happy voice yelled before enveloping each of us into a massive bear hug. For such a small and thin girl, Mandy sure was strong.

"Yes, it is a comforting thought to know that you where not devoured in your sleep by Amphisbaena." A dreamy voice came from behind them. Luna was walking with Padma, who rolled her eyes. After sharing a room with Luna for a few years you get used to her. Her random outbursts seemed to be expected at times. After all, Luna was Luna; it would be weird if she suddenly became normal.

Soon after, Terry, Michael, and Anthony arrived. Anthony walked up to me. "Hey Hermione, how's you day going?" he slung his arm over my shoulder as he finished speaking.

"Just fine, thanks. How about you?"

"So far, it's been perfect." He gave me a flirty wink.

"Good to hear." I shrugged his arm off my shoulder as I rolled my eyes at the Ravenclaw. He was good looking and nice, but he was also a ladies' man. He was defiantly not my type.

We walked off with our partners to arithmancy. The Gryffindor boys had calmed down a little, but not much. They just seemed glad that they didn't have a partner that was out to get them. Not much happened in that class, just mainly paying attention and writing some of it down to practice. I liked this class. Beside muggle studies, this was the only thing that was similar to the life I had lived before Hogwarts. As a kid I had always liked math, which was probably one of the reasons I excelled at arithmancy.

In charms we waited for Professor Flitwick to climb up on his pile of books so he could be our height. When his struggle was finally finished, he announced "alright class. Today you will be charming your partners. You will make them look like a model. I have plenty of magazines here which you can take the image from. Try to only change your partner's body, not their clothes. Now the incantation for this is…" he went on explaining how to cast the spell and what the result should look like before setting us off on our own.

I grabbed a magazine for myself and brought one back for Anthony to use. As we were flipping through the pages looking for a good person to use on each other, Anthony spoke up. "You know Hermione; I don't think I need to use the spell. You are way prettier than any of these people." He gave me a cheeky grin and wink.

I blushed and looked away. "Just shut up and cast the spell." I mumbled barley loud enough to hear.

He shrugged, seemingly unaffected. "Suit yourself. You really need to know how to take a complement though Hermione." Charms continued like that for most of class. _I guess this is my karma for messing with the boys._ I thought bitterly. At least every fifteen seconds Anthony would say something to make me blush even deeper. I didn't like him or anything, it's just that it was the first time I had ever had those things said directed at me. Also because some of his perverted comments made me embarrassed that I even knew what he was talking about.

I was glad when lunch came, I felt a lot better knowing my face didn't look like a cherry. By lunch, the boys' had calmed down a considerable amount. They would talk to us like we were friends, not someone to be scarred of. They would answer the questions like the used to, not thinking about it for five minutes to figure out all the bad possible outcomes of one comment before responding.

But all good things must come to an end, I guess. After lunch was history of magic, and today we would be getting our first scripts.

"All right everyone get with your partner and sit together so I can hand you your scripts." Professor Anderson waited until we had followed the instructions before walking to each of us and handing us a packet. "Now this is going to give us some more information on a few facts leading up to the first wizarding war. I am going to call it 'Conrad's tragedy.' Mainly because I have a horrible ability to name things. This is about Conrad's secret love Piper. It is a tragic story, Piper is in love with Conrad, but she kills herself. You people have to figure out the rest, good luck and get started!"

I looked at my script; it was the scene that Piper dies. As she takes her last breath, she and Grindelwald confess their undying love for each other and share one last kiss before she plunges the poisoned dagger into her heart and dies. She kills herself because the 'villain' in the story, Duncan, was also in love with her. She wants to cause him pain by making him watch her die. To get his revenge on Conrad for stealing his love, Duncan kidnaps Conrad's sister and kills her. Duncan is still devastated, and through his pain he is weak enough that Conrad can kill him.

We were thrown in the same group as Michael and Lavender. Lavender would be the sister, Michael would be Duncan, Anthony would be Conrad, and I would be Piper. Which meant I would have to kiss Anthony. More than once. Practically every class. _Lucky me,_ I thought sarcastically. Anthony was a great guy, but I just didn't like him in that way.

Thankfully I was saved from having to kiss Anthony today. We decided to just study our scenes and start memorizing our lines. Over all, the class wasn't too bad. Lavender and Michael were with us, so there wasn't the awkwardness of having to pretend to be in love with Anthony. At least not too much of it anyways.

After class the twelve of us went to the courtyard. We alternated between sitting and doing homework, and walking and joking around. Although we didn't know the Ravenclaw's that well, the day was pretty good. Between Luna's odd outbursts, Terry's sarcastic comments, Anthony's playful flirting, Padma's girly comments, and Mandy's bubbly personality, the day was very interesting. And although the combination of many personalities was a little odd, the day was also fun.

**Wednesday**

While in our dorm room, Lavender, Ginny, and I had already planned to ask Pansy to help us with pranking the boys. Hopefully the other Slytherin's wouldn't pass up an opportunity to prank Gryffindors, and might choose to help us. We just had to wait for the right moment to ask. We had planned to ask them after classes were over. It would be too obvious if we asked them now. We were standing in the great hall looking for the Slytherin partners. After a moment we saw them heading our way.

They stopped in front of us. Pansy gave us a small friendly smile. Daphne looked like she wasn't sure what to do. Millicent glared at us. Blaise winked at Ginny, Lavender, and I. Theo nodded at us in greeting. Draco just stared at us. Us Gryffindors smiled awkwardly back at them. After a moment of an awkward silence, we all simultaneously started walking to class.

The walk to the defense against the dark arts classroom was silent. It was awkward, but nobody knew what to say, so we continued like that until we took our seats and waited for the professor to enter the room.

"All right class, you know what to do." Professor Samson said as he waved his want. A dummy appeared in front of each of us. "Three, two, one, go!" and with that the dummies came to life and began to approach the students.

I sighed and stood up to face the dummy. After facing thousands of death eaters during the war and the department of mysteries, this was a piece of cake. I lazily flicked my want and sent a spell at it, destroying it within five seconds. Most of the class was staring at me looking shocked because of my speed and use of wordless magic. I noticed that Malfoy didn't look shocked. Instead he was staring at me with the same expression he did last Wednesday. It was like he was trying to figure something out. It made me uncomfortable to have that thoughtful expression directed at me.

Thankfully it didn't last too long. His dummy began to attack him so he had no choice other than to fight back. After he turned away I remembered the rest of the class. I turned and faced them. Slowly they went back to fighting as well.

The rest of the class passed fairly quickly. Just as the bell was about to ring, Professor Samson stopped us. "You all did great today. I think you are ready for the next step. Next class you will be dueling each other. Now I want you all to have a four paragraph easy ready to turn into me by next class on the safety and dangers of dueling. "He paused to let the bell ring."Have a good day and see you all soon."

With that we left the classroom. He walk to muggle studies wasn't as awkward. We talked among our self's excitedly about the next class. The Slytherins did the same, except they were a few paces ahead of us.

Muggle studies wasn't that interesting today. We learned a little about American culture. We learned the historic significance of the monuments and buildings we would be visiting. Today was a lesson on Washington D.C. This was supposed to make the trip a lot more exciting because we would know what each thing stood for. The lesson itself wasn't too bad, it was mostly the teacher. She spoke with an expressionless voice that almost made me fall asleep. The most interesting part of class was when she announced when we would leave. We would leave Friday after class, and would return Sunday night. She didn't give an exact date, but I still couldn't wait to go.

At lunch I sat between Ginny and Lavender, and across from Harry, Neville, and Ron. As soon as we sat down, Ron began stuffing his face. Neville and Harry did the same after a moment, except they actually used their silverware and napkins. I figured they would be busy with the food for at least five minutes, so now would. Be a good time to talk.

"So Lavender, have you said anything to Pansy yet?" I spoke loud enough for Ginny and Lavender to hear, but quiet enough so the boys wouldn't. Not like they were listening anyways, but best to be safe, I figured.

"Not yet, I couldn't exactly bring it up on the way to classes without the boys overhearing, so I was planning to do it after potions." she responded as she began to fill up her plate.

I nodded in agreement as Ginny spoke up. "Good. We will probably divide up by houses like last time anyways. We here could go for a walk and ask if she wants to join us. The boys will just think we want girl time or whatever. And she has been the nicest Slytherins to us so far, so it will be believable."

"Sounds good to me," I added. We then fell silent as we noticed the boys were almost done with their plates. They would start paying attention and talking when they refilled and ate their second helping. Knowing that they could tune in at any second, we changed the topic to classes. We just said random stuff until the boys started to pay attention. When they did the topic changed to quidditch.

I turned to Lavender, who rolled her eyes with me. Neither of us really cared about the sport. But for the next thirty minutes that we had lunch, the boys and Ginny refused to change the topic. I would occasionally zone in, but when I found that nothing was interesting, I zoned out again. But when they started talking about a change, I decided that it might be important.

"This sucks! They honestly think this is going to work? What kind of drugs are they on?" Harry asked no one in particular.

"Drugs?" Ron asked him quizzically. Ron, Ginny, and Neville, were all looking at him as if he were crazy.

"Muggle thing." he rolled his eyes. "But back to the point, how does it even work?"

Ginny looked thoughtful. "Well it might not be that crazy. I mean, we have had two weeks of classes with them, and so far no one has killed each other yet. Quidditch can't be that different."

Neville gave a snort like laugh. "The key word there is yet, Ginny. It's only a matter of time."

Yeah, if I was stuck on a Slytherin team then I would purposely make them fail." Ron stated and the others nodded along. They soon changed the topic to something else I didn't care about. _So they are combining quidditch teams. This should be interesting. It's not going to work._ I thought. _Yeah, way to be an optimist Hermione. _

Potions came and went. Nothing interesting happened. I was partnered with Malfoy who was just as quiet as usual. I tried to ignore his stares; he pretended he was focused on the potion. I was glad when class was over and we went down to the lake. Malfoy was more focused on what Blaise had to say then on me. It felt good to be able to do something without being watched.

After a few minutes Pansy walked over from where the Slytherins where seated to talk to us. "How are you all today? You know you can join us if you want, we won't bite… Not too hard anyways." She added after a moment with a playful evil grin.

The boys said nothing. I expected Lavender to say something, but after a moment of silence I spoke up. "That's really kind of you Pansy. I think us three will join you if you don't mind." I pointed to Ginny and Lavender.

Pansy smiled at us and led us over to the Slytherins. A moment after we left the boys seemed to remember Monday. They had expressions of horror on their faces. They tried to get us to come back but it was too late. We were already seated comfortably with the Slytherins.

Daphne looked at us questionably while Millicent glared. Blaise smiled flintily at us while Malfoy did his creepy stare. Theodore looked at us with a small friendly smile and pansy smiled brightly, proud that we trusted her enough to sit with her.

"So you are all probably wondering why we are here." Ginny started and waited for them to nod in response. "Well Lavender can tell you." We all looked at lavender who was staring at Theo with a dreamy expression.

I rolled my eyes knowing that Ginny wasn't going to finish talking and Lavender was paying no attention. "Ok hears the thing. A little while ago lavender received a letter from Pansy."Malfoy looked at Pansy with a hint of annoyance. "The letter said that if we ever needed something, she would help us. She also said that Malfoy might help. I'm telling all of you this because you might want to take part in it as well."

"Why would we want to help a bunch of Gryffindorks like you?" Millicent spat. Pansy glared at her.

"You might not want to but let me Finnish. As I was saying we would appreciate it if you could help us get revenge." I explained what happened Monday and what we needed them to do.

"So you need help to jinx Potter, I think we might have a few ideas." Malfoy said, giving me a small smile. It wasn't the smirk I was used to; it was a real genuine smile. I found myself smiling back at him.

Theo decided that this would be the perfect time to jump in. "so what exactly are we going to do to him?"

I looked away from Malfoy and responded, "not sure yet but it's going to be big." Everyone agreed and smiled as we began making plans. Millicent even jumped in after a little hesitation. After about an hour we had a basic idea of what we would do to the six boys. There was many staged to the prank we had planned. And it was going to be big indeed. It would be better than what Fred or George could have ever done.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I just got the worst news today! They told me... That I don't own the Harry Potter books or characters! How could they do that to me? Sob :(**  
><strong>AN: Gingiie666- I hope the prank is good enough for you and you will find out what it is soon enough ;)**  
><strong>This chapter is dedicated to my anonymous reviewer; I hope this chapter pleases you.<strong>

**What Could Have Been****chapter 8**

**Hermione POV**

**Thursday **

The day went by fairly quickly. Astronomy and arithmancy passed with nothing interesting. A lecture, note handouts, and an easy for each due next class. The boys allowed themselves to relax a little around us. If it was because they knew we wouldn't do anything major without the Hufflepuff's, or they thought we didn't have anything planned yet I had no clue. Either way it was nice to have them relax and be their self's around us again.  
>I was excited for lunch. We didn't really have time to talk during classes today and it would be nice to just hang with the Gryffindor's for the day. However lunch was delayed a few minutes when McGonagall walked up to the eagle podium and the hall fell silent. She waited a moment to make sure she had all of our attention before speaking out in a clear voice. "As you probably know, the first trip to Hogsmeade village this term will be this Saturday. As long as you are at least in third year and have the permission slip shined, you are permitted to go. This is how it has been in the past, and it is not going to change. However, if you are planning to go you will have to be with your partners from other houses. The staff and I agree that it is a good idea that you spend time with them outside of class. That will be all, enjoy your meal."<br>It took a moment for the news to sink in with the students. Once it did there were several outbursts. Some of them good, some of them (mainly the Slytherins) were bad. There were also the ones that decided to stay silent, like Ginny, and Neville, and I.  
>Lavender let out a relieved sigh. She had a good group. A hot guy (Wayne), an average and nice guy (Michael), and the nicest Slytherin there ever was (Pansy).<br>"Cool," Harry said thinking of Terry who shared his interest in quittage, and Susan who was in Dumbledore's Army. Then he realized Millicent would be in his group and he whispered "shit."  
>Ron groaned loudly. Megan annoyed him and he didn't want to have to walk around all day with the girl he took to the Yule Ball. He didn't hang out with Blaze enough to know if he liked him or not, but he knew that the trip would not be fun.<br>Neville was quiet, but I could tell he was pleased. He liked Mandy from the moment she hugged him during their first meeting. And he and Ernie got along decently enough.  
>Ginny was overjoyed. She not only got to be with our close friend Luna, but she also got to spend the day with two super-hot guys. She didn't want to show it though because Harry already thought she fancied at least one of them. And Harry is not the guy you want to see jealous.<br>I didn't know what to think. Hannah was a nice girl; she and I had grown close enough for me to consider her as a friend. But Anthony kept trying to flirt with me. I couldn't tell if he was being serious or if he was just teasing me. Then there was Malfoy. I honestly didn't know what to think of him. A year ago I would have laughed at the idea of us ever getting along, but now I'm not so sure. True he insulted us on the train, but he didn't call me a mudblood. And it's not like we were entirely innocent. We pissed him off when he was obviously already having a bad day. He hasn't done anything to annoy me too much, and if he would just stop with the creepy stares all the time I might be able to survive Saturday.  
>For some reason my mind drifted to the dreams I had a little before school started. I wondered why I saved Malfoy in the room or requirement. I asked myself almost every day since, but I still didn't have an answer. And when I was being tortured in his house by his aunt. Was he really so selfish that he only cared about his stupid headache? Or was he actually trying to help me? Then my mind wandered to when I jinxed Ron's hair. My friends might have missed the wink that<br>Malfoy sent me, but I didn't. I still didn't know what it meant, but I knew without a doubt that Malfoy had changed. Even if it was just a small change that he wasn't ready to show anyone yet, there was definitely something different about him.  
>I was brought out of my thoughts by a hand on my shoulder shaking me and someone saying "Hermione" over and over.<br>I looked up into a pair of worried emerald eyes. "Hey Harry, what's up?"  
>"I said that we should leave before we are late for transfiguration. Are you okay?" he didn't seem as panicked, but his voice and eyes still held a fair amount of concern.<br>"yeah I'm fine, I was just thinking about this book I read a few days ago is all." thankfully he fell for the lie. 

_**Saturday **_

The sun hadn't risen by the time I woke up. I stretched and got out of bed. A quick look around the dorm told me my friends were asleep. I grabbed my things and headed to the bathroom to get ready.  
>After I got a quick shower and dressed I left the bathroom to find Ginny awake and looking out the window.<br>"You're ready already? We still have two and a half hours till breakfast. I don't know how you can be so awake this early. You are crazy." Ginny said as she turned from the window to greet me.  
>"Good morning to you too." I sighed.<br>"Yeah aren't I the best? See you in a few." she giggled as she headed into the bathroom to get ready.  
>I walked over to the window and watched the last of the sunrise. I could tell it was going to be a beautiful day. Perfect for the first Hogsmeade trip.<br>I walked over to the mirror and applied a light layer of make-up. By the time I was done Ginny was exiting the bathroom.  
>"It's too early to already be ready to go; we still have Ron's of time till breakfast." I used an annoying mimicking tone just to annoy her.<br>Fair enough. Looks like someone is still sleeping though." she pointed at Lavender who was still in her bed. Ginny looked at me and we both smiled evilly.  
>We each stood on one side of the bed. 'Ready' I mouthed. Ginny nodded. I held up my fingers to count down from three. When the last finger went down Ginny cast a spell to make a pool appear as I made the bed disappear. As soon as the spells were cast Ginny and I quickly stepped back to avoid being splashed.<br>Lavender woke up cursing and trying to get out of the pool as Ginny and I laughed uncontrollably. "Are you crazy? I could have drowned!" Lavender yelled as she stepped out of the pool.  
>"Oh please, if you haven't died yet the chances of you dying now are highly unlikely. Besides, this has been going on since fourth year. I think you would be used to it by now." I said as I waved my wand, making the pool disappear and the bed reappear.<br>"Technically this is your fault. If you would just wake up on time we wouldn't have these problems." Ginny added. Lavender gave a huff of annoyance before disappearing in the bathroom.  
>By the time she was done and we were all ready for the day, we only had half an hour left till breakfast.<br>"So how is this going to work exactly?" Ginny asked referring to being stuck with our groups all day.  
>"Well I'm going to be with Malfoy and Hannah so that's good. The only problem will be ditching Anthony so the three of us can talk." I explained.<br>"And I got Michael, Wayne, and Pansy. Pansy and I can freak out Wayne no problem."  
>"All right." Ginny nodded. "And I have Zack, Luna, and Theo. Luna will probably be off in her own little world so she won't care about what we do."<br>We all nodded. It was time for breakfast so we left for the great hall. "Good morning students. I know some of you are more excited about this than others, but I do hope this will be a learning experience for all. Now if you could all get into your groups and wait for further instructions." McGonagall announced and waited for us all to obey. She then raised her wand and spoke an incantation I haven't heard before. "I'm sure you are all trustworthy, however just to make sure you don't run away from your groups the second you enter the village, that spell will prevent you from going more than twenty feet away from each other with the exception of using the restroom. Now enjoy your trip and off you go.  
>Anthony turned to Hannah. They had been eyeing each other since we had gotten into our groups. "My beautiful lady, I am honored to accompany you to the village." he said as he bowed and kissed her hand.<br>She giggled and took his arm. "and I am honored to have such fine company." they smiled at each other before walking ahead, forgetting all about Malfoy and I.  
>We glanced at each other and rolled our eyes before the spell dragged us closer to the rest of our group.<br>We followed them in silence to the village. We spent the first couple hours getting school supplies, like paper and ink. Around noonish we stopped by the Three Broomsticks for a drink. Anthony and Hannah sat across from Malfoy and I. They held hands pretty much the whole time. I felt really awkward, like I was intruding on their personal lives or something. I kept my eyes on the table until we left. Then I walked as far behind them as the spell would allow.  
>As we walked I tuned out Anthony's and Hannah's mindless flirting. It wasn't too hard because there were so many other people's voices to distract me.<br>As we walked I enjoyed the warm weather with an occasional cool breeze. I allowed my mind to wander. I thought about everything that had happened within the past year. We had lost many people and friends in the war, but they died for a good cause. Because of them Voldemort was dead, and we could fun sly live in peace.  
>"Why did you do it?" a quiet voice brought me back to reality. I looked to my left to see Malfoy staring at me. It wasn't the creepy stare either, it was questioning.<br>I was so shocked to hear him speak to me, his voice sounded almost alien to my ears. He wasn't using his typical evil or arrogant voice rather, he sounded curious. I was so shocked that I let out a week "what?"  
>Malfoy looked around, probably making sure nobody else was eavesdropping before continuing. "Why did you do it? Last year in the room of requirement, why did you save me? Sure scar head heaped, but I know it wasn't his idea."<br>I took a deep breath, thinking how to respond. "Honestly Malfoy, I ask myself the same thing pretty much every day. I don't know, maybe I wanted to be even? I mean you did stop Bellatrix from killing me, I guess I just felt like I owed you for saving my life." I was surprised at what I said, I didn't know the answer to his question. But now that I thought about it the answer I gave him was true.  
>I heard him mumble something. I wasn't sure what it was, but it sounded like 'that's not the only time.' I looked at him confused, but quickly shrugged it off, there was no way I had heard him right.<br>"So I guess the real question is why you saved my life?" I looked at him expectantly.  
>There was a long pause. For a moment I thought he wasn't going to answer me. Then he let out a long sigh and looked at me. "I don't know granger. Don't take it too personally though, it's not like I cared about your life. I guess I was trying to prove myself. My whole life there was always someone telling me to do this or think this. I was never even given a choice. I only took the dark mark do that I wouldn't be murdered. I grew up having people telling me 'the dark lord is good' and 'mudbloods are disgusting'. And when that's all people told me, how was I supposed to know any different? I even believed it for a while, until I met Pansy. Her aunt was married to a muggle and her parents were furthered by Voldemort so she was the only one of my friends who actually had their own opinion, not something she was being forced to think. At first I thought she was nuts, then I started to think what if the dark lord was furthering my mother as well and she was just hiding it from me? It wasn't till sixth year that I fully realized how horrible he was. He wanted me to do something terrible, and I knew I wouldn't be able to do it."<br>"Yeah He wanted you to kill Dumbledore but Snape beat you to it." I said without thinking.  
>After a minute of silence from him I turned around and saw that he had stopped walking. He was staring at me with a look of utter shock. "How did you know?" his voice was so quiet I could barely hear him.<br>"I have my sources. Anyway please continue with your story." he nodded and sped up to catch up with me before the spell dragged him along.  
>"There isn't much else. I figured out how bad he was and decided I didn't want him controlling my life anymore. I wanted him dead. So I tried to save you, to prove that I was not his slave. And I knew that Potter and Weasley wouldn't stand a chance at killing him without your brains. I saved you because you were probably the best chance I had to live my own life. Sure Bellatrix used the cruciatus curse on me for ruining her fun, but I have suffered worse. And it was worth it. Now not only is the dark lord dead, but so is my father. I have a life now. I have choices. I am my own person. And maybe that's why we Slytherins hate Gryffindor's, because you have always had that. You have the perfect family, and the perfect life, and I guess we are just jealous that we never had any of that.<br>"You think we have perfect lives?""  
>"Well, yeah. Don't you?" he asked, the confusion obvious in his voice.<br>"Ron had a big family, and hardly enough money to keep them all well fed and clothed. Harry's parents died when he was a baby. He was a slave for his aunt and uncle until he came to Hogwarts. Neville's parents were tortured so much that they don't  
>even recognize him Harry has had to fight Voldemort since his first year here. Harry Ron and I almost starved to death when we were looking for the horcruxes. And me, my dad left my mother and I when I was just seven years old. I kept thinking it was my fault, and that he would come back if I was a better daughter. I tried everything, I tried to be prettier. I tried being more athletic. I tried being a better singer and actress. I tried being nicer. Nothing worked. He still preferred that slut he met at the bar more than his own family. I tried to be smarter. I got as many book as I could and memorized every word. By the time I realized he would never come back, it was too late to change. I was a nerd, and everybody made fun of me. I didn't have any friends until I met Harry and Ron, and that's probably only because they saved my life.<br>"I'm not saying that you have an easy life, I'm just saying that other people have it bad too. So before you go around throwing a little pity party for yourself, think of all the others who have it just as bad!" by now I was practically yelling. I glared at him, silently daring him to argue with what I said.  
>After a few minutes of silence I broke my glance and began walking again. I knew I overreacted, but did he honestly think he was the only one with problems?<br>"Sorry." I turned around slowly. Now it was my turn to be confused. After a moment Malfoy continued. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that your life was so difficult. I guess when you spend your whole life hating someone, it's a little hard to imagine the crap going on in their life." The emotion in his eyes told me his apology was sincere. My anger immediately left me. Of course I could relate to what he just said.  
>"Why Are you telling me all of this?" I turned to him, genuinely confused.<br>"I'm not entirety sure. I guess I just needed someone to listen to me. Someone to understand me. Someone who hasn't gone through the exact same things as me to be able to accept me." I nodded, that was probably the only reason I had told him about my life as well.  
>We walked in silence for a few minutes, each lost in our own thoughts. I couldn't believe that I had actually had a decent conversation with Malfoy of all people. A high pitched scream brought me out of my thoughts. When I heard it, it surprised me because I forgot that Anthony and Hannah were with us. I tripped over a twig and my wand flew out of my pocket and rolled several feet away from me. My hands hit the cold pavement and for the first time I took in my surroundings. We were in a deserted highway, far away from Hogsmeade. We had been walking so long that I knew there was no one around for miles. The grass was dead and the sky was dark and cloudy. Hannah was clinging onto Anthony and both had identical looks of fear plastered on their faces. I figured that it was probably Hannah who screamed.<br>At first I didn't see anything unusual, just a deserted street. Then I felt it. The familiar feeling of dread. Of sadness. That there was no hope or happiness. And it was cold, way too cold for it to be the weather considering it was blazing hot ten minutes ago. I knew what it was before my mind had processed everything. dementors. I stood up and reached for my wand before remembering I didn't have it. I had taken about two steps towards it when I was attacked. I could feel the happiness draining my body. I could feel myself becoming weaker and weaker. I had seen harry get attacked by dementors before but had only felt it once myself. The last thing I could make out before completely losing conscious was someone pushing me out of the way and then a bright light in the shape of a snake.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own nothing, not the characters, not Hogwarts, nothing. However I am proud to say the plot does belong to me.  
>AN: thanks so much for reading! I really appreciate all of you who have added me to your favorites and story alerts. I also really appreciate the few of you who have reviewed. It lets me know I'm not writing this story for nothing.

**What Could Have Been** **chapter 9**

**Hermione P.O.V**

I could hear voices mumbling above me. I couldn't tell what they were saying, but I knew Harry and Ron were there. Judging by the thin sheets and the barley comfortable bed, I was in the hospital wing. I had a horrible headache and I had so little energy. I briefly wondered how much damage the Dementor did to me. I groaned internally thinking of how weak I must look to my friends right now.

"Hush, I think she is waking up." this voice was feminine.

Apparently I had groaned out loud, not in my head. 'Oh well, not like I could have faked sleep forever.' I knew they were all staring at me before I even opened my eyes.

Once my eyes adjusted to my surroundings I could make out the faces of Harry, Ginny, Luna, Ron, and Neville. They each had an expression that was a combination of concern for my health and relief that I was ok.

"Lavender was here, she left about half an hour ago because professor Flitwick needed her." I smiled at Ginny, she knew how much I hated people asking if I was ok.

Just then madam Pomfrey came over to my bed and handed me a purplish potion. "It will help to get rid of the headache dear." I drank it and shrugged in relief. She then turned to my friends with a stern look on her face, "I hope you know you only have twenty minutes left, it's almost curfew!" after they all nodded she wished me well and went off to her office.

I looked at them expectantly, "all right, how bad was it?"

Ginny and Ron held each of my hands while Harry sat on the edge of my bed giving me an awkward side hug. Luna looked list as always leaving Neville to do the talking. "It was bad. You were so close to getting the dementors kiss. It only made it worse that you were so far away from the school. You are so lucky that Hannah saved you just in time. She and Anthony carried you to Hogsmeade, and from there they had a carriage take you to the school. If they were even a second late performing the patronus, you might not be with us now."

I was confused. 'Hannah and Anthony saved me? Last I saw them they were clinging to each other for life.' I was about to argue with Neville before I saw the tears in his eyes. I looked at the rest of my friends and saw all of them were trying to hold themselves together for my sake_. 'But then the only other person who could have saved me was Malfoy, no that cans be right the guy hates me. I guess it's possible for it to have been Hannah...'_

"I swear I will kill Malfoy for letting this happen to you." Ron's grip on my hand tightened till I felt like he was crushing it.

"No Ron, Malfoy didn't do anything and you're hurting me." his grip immediately loosened and he looked down guiltily.

"We should probably leave now before madam Pomfrey kicks us out." Harry said, but I knew he was more worried about Ron losing his temper.  
>I nodded knowing he was right. "We are just so glad you are alright." Ginny said she hugged me. I hugged the rest of them, said goodbye, and they left.<p>

It wasn't until a few minutes after they left that their words sunk in. I was so close to being list forever. I was so close to having the dementors kiss. I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for my savior.

Madam Pomfrey soon came back offering me another potion, this time it was green. "Just drink this and you should be good to go dear." she said in her motherly tone. I nodded and drank hardly aware of what I was doing. She watched me for a minute to make sure I wouldn't get any side effects, and then let me go.

I walked through the halls, not paying attention to where I was going. I allowed my feet to carry me wherever they pleased as I thought about the previous events. Before I knew it I was standings in front if the room of requirement. I stood staring at it, waiting for a door to appear although I knew it wouldn't because I wasn't asking something from it.

"I thought you would come here Granger. Come inside with me." Malfoy said as he walked through the door he just made. For some reason I followed him in.

The room inside was warm and cozy. There was a fire burning against one wall with a few chairs and a love seat scattered around the room. There were a few tables with candles around the chairs. There were several beautiful paintings on the walls, both magical and muggle. It looked like a combination of the Gryffindor common room (minus the overuse of red) and my living room at home. I smiled at the peacefully atmosphere, it defiantly was not what I expected from Malfoy.

He sat on one end of the love seat and patted the spot next to him motioning for me to join him. When I sat down he began to speak. "Nice room isn't it? I come here a lot when I need to think. I thought you would enjoy it too. Plus you can get away from your annoying little friends."

Although I didn't appreciate his making fun of my friends, I did have to give him some credit for being thoughtful I really didn't feel like facing them yet. "thanks." there were a few minutes of peaceful silence, before I spoke again. "I must admit, this is not the kind of room I would expect a Slytherin to come up with."

"Well our common room is in the dungeon. No sunlight, its cold, damp, and dark. Just because we are forced to live there doesn't mean we like it." I nodded in response, it did make sense. And from what I heard from Ron and Harry in second year it wasn't a pleasant place.

"Oh I almost forgot. On our way back to the school I made Hannah get you some chocolate from Honeydukes. Not sure how much good it will do you now, but here ya go." He pulled out a giant candy bar from his robe pocket and handed it to me.

"Chocolate is chocolate, if it helps me feel better or not, it tastes great." I smiled at him as I took the candy and opened it. "It was you wasn't it? You saved me." I said it more like an accusation then a question.

"Well considering Hannah was too busy screaming her head off and Anthony couldn't produce a patronus to save his life, someone had to keep you from getting kissed by a Dementor."

"That's not what I meant. Your patronus is a snake. It was you in the forest that night wasn't it?"

He looked uncomfortable, like he didn't want me to figure it out. Apparently he decided he could tell me because he gave a surrendering sigh. "Yes, it was. But it's not like I wanted to. The old guy that works at the Hogs Head offered me a reward if I went to a forest to make sure a sword was there or whatever. When I was there I saw Harry in a lake practically drowning. I sent the patronus to let you know so you could save him. "He tried to say it like it was no big deal, but to me it meant everything.

My mind drifted again to the dreams I had at the beginning of the year. I gasped realizing something. "This whole time it was you!" Malfoy looked at me confused, so I continued. "You tried to save me from your aunt, and it was you who killed Lucius wasn't it?"

He looked a little uneasy as he answered, "yes, but I already told you it was to help you-know-who die."

"You killed your own father to save me, when Harry was probably already fighting him in the forest."

"He is not my father, he was a monster! And if I didn't kill him then I probably would have later that night." His eyes burned with hate for the man. I briefly wondered what he had done to make Malfoy hate him so much. Then he shook his head to clear it and continued in a calmer voice. "And I guess I felt like I owed you. You did save me from the fire. I know it wasn't Potters idea."

"Well I owed you too, for saving me in the manor. But you saved me again tonight. Voldemort is gone so there is no reason to save me. You could have left it to Hannah and Anthony. And why was it always me you saved? Why not Harry or Ron? I know you said I was the smart one, but without Harry Voldemort would still be here. You could have pulled them out of the pond when you thought they were drowning instead of leading me to them. So why me and not them?"

He looked uncertain for a second, but then it was gone so fast I wondered if it was there at all, or if it was just my imagination. "Well don't you have a lot of questions? I would think you would be grateful I saved you even once. I mean, you should be kissing my feet and calling me master." He said jokingly.

I rolled my eyes and replied sarcastically, "of course, whatever was I thinking? My deepest apologies for forgetting. Your every wish is my command. I live to serve you. What would you like me to do first master?"

He pretended to think super hard for a moment, amusement dancing in his eyes. "so many things to make you do, I think I'll start with the hardest demand. Share your chocolate with me."

I gasped really loud, purposefully over exaggerating. "Share the chocolate? That's impossible! It means the world to me. By taking it away you might as well kill me!" Malfoy looked at me with amusement as I fought to keep serious, but within moments I was cracking up. A second later he was joining me. Once we calmed down enough to breathe normally I preformed a quick duplicating spell on the chocolate bar and handed one of them over to Malfoy.

The next hour or so we talked and joked around. I had so many questions for him, like what did his father do that was so horrible? Why save me? (he never did give me an answer to that), and many more. I had already learned more about Malfoy in the past few hours than I had in all the years I knew him. I didn't want to push my luck so I decided to keep the conversation lighthearted and stay away from any topic that might lead to his family or personal life.

Throughout the rest of the time I spent with him I must have duplicated the candy bar at least fifty times. After the second or third time I decided to use the duplicating spell that wouldn't duplicate the calories, just the taste. At least then I didn't have to worry about getting fat.

"I had better go. It's late and my friends are probably in bed so I think its safe to leave now." I said standing up.

"All right. I'll see you later then." He stood up as well and walked me out of the room we shared a quick smile and went our separate ways.

I walked through the portrait of the fat lady, glad the common room was empty. I snuck up the stairs and into my bed as quietly as possible so as not to wake my roommates. The last thought I had before drifting off to sleep was about Malfoy. I never knew he could be such a pleasant person. Who would have thought I could be with him alone and not try to kill him? More than that, who would have thought I would enjoy being with him?

The next morning went by normally. I woke up, got ready, and headed down to the great hall for breakfast with my friends. We sat at our normal spots and ate and talked and laughed. Once we all finished eating, Ron being the last, we decided to go walk around the castle grounds. We reached the doors at the same time as Malfoy. I smiled at him when my friends weren't looking as the rest of them mumbled a hi.

Just as we were about to walk out, McGonagall stopped us. "Mr. Malfoy, Miss. Granger, could I see you for a few minutes in my office please?" with that she walked off expecting us to follow her.

I mumbled a 'see you later' to my friends before following her with Malfoy. Although we both appeared calm outside, I was freaking out, and Malfoy probably was too. Why would she want to talk to us? Did she somehow find out that we stayed out together past curfew last night? I didn't know, but I hoped the punishment wouldn't be too bad.

We walked in silence. McGonagall said the password and went up the spiral staircase. Malfoy and I exchanged an uneasy glance before heading up. McGonagall pushed the door open and we saw Hannah and Anthony sitting by her desk. Thankful that it wasn't about last night, and confused as to why we were here, I took a seat between Malfoy and Hannah.

McGonagall took her seat in front of us and took in our worried expressions. "relax children. You are not in trouble." She smiled reassuringly at us. We all let out the breath we had been holding and she continued. "I expect you are all wondering about what happened the other night with the dementors." We all nodded eagerly. I had almost forgotten about the dementors. Whenever I thought about it my mind wandered to the hours I spent with Malfoy.

"There was a breakout from Azkaban about a month ago. Not a huge one, just five prisoners's escaped. The ministry had received an anonyms tip that one of them was hiding near that ally you four were in. you are not in danger, the dementors were not after you, but next time you leave the caste grounds I suggest you pay attention to where you are. Now, normally I would dock points from each of you for being so reckless." We all gave small groans to that. "However, I am shocked that you were able to work so well together. Especially you two." She glanced at Malfoy and I. "I am proud that you can survive being with each other for a whole day, so I will just give you a warning. Just don't let it happen again. You are dismissed."

We left the office as quickly as possible, not wanting to push our luck. "she had me worried there for a second," Admitted Hannah as soon as we were far enough away from the stone gargoyles.

"Yeah it's not like her to let us off so easily." Anthony said thoughtfully.

"She was probably just grateful we were ok. You know, after the war and everything I don't think she could have stood to lose another student. She might seem strict, but she does have a heart." Hannah, Anthony, and I froze and stared at Malfoy. "What?" he said defensively. "Just because I'm a guy doesn't mean I can't try to understand others."

Hannah and Anthony accepted it and left, with Anthony walking Hannah to the entrance to her common room.

I looked at Malfoy, trying not to laugh. "what is it?" he asked looking confused.

I smiled. "Nothing. I just never thought I would live to see the day that you would say something so deep."

He glared at me as he walked away. I was ok with it, I knew he wasn't really mad, he was just faking. I gave him a huge smile and an over exaggerated wave a I shouted to his retreating form. "bye Malfoy! Can't wait till I see you again! Maybe you will say something better!" although I couldn't see his eyes from this distance, I knew he rolled them at my comment.

I turned around with a smile on my face, a real one, not the fake one I just used for Malfoy. As I went to go find Harry, Ron, Ginny, and my other friends, I couldn't help but think Malfoy isn't that bad of a guy. Maybe, just maybe, someday he will join me with my group of friends voluntarily. Not because the school made him.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** No me owno el Harry Potter. Or el espanol skillos.  
><span><strong>AN**: Alright my dear readers! This is the chapter you have all been waiting for (drum roll). You get to find out part one of the prank! Gingiie666 I hope you find this chapter to your liking. Also thanks to inchausti, DensiShine, and twilight expertess for the reviews, glad you all like it and I hope you enjoy the rest of it.

**What Could Have Been** **chapter 10**

_**Hermione P.O.V**_

The next few days went by normally. Woke up, ate breakfast, meet with your partner, and go to class. After class find a nice quiet spot to do homework together and hang out. We would say our goodbyes and go to dinner. Then I would hang out with Ginny, Neville, Harry, and Ron in the Gryffindor common room. Every now and then I would talk to Malfoy, but nothing interesting happened. Just a few light hearted conversations, no more heart to hearts. The days turned into weeks and before I knew it, it was Halloween.

I woke up Halloween morning, bright and early. I was excited. This Halloween would mean more to me than just muggle kids dressing up and trick-or-treating. It would mean more to me than just the floating jack-o-lanterns around the school. At the moment it was only me and a handful of other students that knew. But in just a few hours, the whole school would find out during breakfast. It would be a Halloween to remember. Today we would be performing part one of the prank, and if I was a random student watching, I would say it was pretty awesome.

By now all the boys were comfortable around us, they were convinced we were lying about the prank. That would only make it so much more interesting.

After Ginny and Lavender woke up and got ready, we headed down to the great hall, making sure the boys didn't see us leave the common room. Once we got to the doors of the great hall, we hid in a corner so nobody would see us. There, we waited until the rest of the students were in the great hall and we came out of hiding. The three Hufflepuff girls came out when they saw us. We waited about ten minutes for the Slytherins to appear from the dungeons.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" I asked as soon as the Slytherins were within hearing range. They all nodded. "Ok. We will leave you Slytherins to set it up out here." I turned to the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. "Remember when you cast the spell to have an image in mind or it won't work. the spell will take affect one minute after casting, so after you cast it make sure they get into the hall quickly. We will wait a few minutes after the Slytherins come in before we cast, that way they don't seem too suspicious. Wait until I give you the sign till you cast." Everyone nodded, showing they understood. "alright then. Let's do this." With that I walked into the great hall with Ginny and Lavender at my side, and Susan, Megan, and Hannah behind us.

I sat down across from Ron, with Ginny sitting on my right across from Harry and Lavender on my left across from Neville.

"What are you three so happy about?"Ron said while chewing.

I made a disgusted face. "Ron, swallow first, then talk." He mumbled an apology and I rolled my eyes, knowing he would forget within thirty seconds.

"But seriously, don't you think it's a little early to be so happy?" Neville cut in, never being a morning person himself.

"We just really like Halloween, that's all." As Lavender said this, the Slytherins walked in and took their seats.

After a few minutes I nudged Ginny and Lavender with my elbows, silently telling them it was time. We each locked eyes with one of the three Hufflepuff's and gave then a small nod, telling them to do their part. We took out our wands under the table as secretly we could and pointed them at the boy in front of us. After the three Hufflepuff's were in the hall we cast the spell on the Gryffindors so as to not raise suspicion from the teachers if such a large group left together from separate houses. I closed my eyes and mumbled the spell so quietly, it could barely be heard from Ginny and Lavender. The boys suddenly had an urge to leave the great hall and shortly after they left music blasted from the outside the hall.

The great hall became silent as music filled the air. A few curious students stood up and walked to the doors. Soon the whole hall was crowded around until some Ravenclaw second year opened the door. Any students who had been whispering to each other instantly quieted down at the sight in front of them. It defiantly would be something everyone would remember for a long time.

Ernie Macmillan's hair had changed to beach blonde, and was done in a bob cut. He wore a black frilly bra and underwear. My guess was this was the work of Megan.

Zacharias Smith's hair was long, blond, and curly. His side bangs were strait. He had part of his hair gathered in a bun, the rest hung freely. It looked really good. No doubt Hannah had done him up. He also wore a light purple silk bra and underwear.

Wayne Hopkins had grown his hair out to just past the shoulder, and was straight and shiny. He wore a hot pink bra and matching underwear. Susan smiled at her work, glad it had come out so nicely.

Harry's raven hair fell in curls to a little past his shoulders and had a few flower barrettes in his hair to keep it out of his face. He wore a red lacy bra with a matching thong. Ginny did a good job on him.

Neville's hair was straight and went to his shoulder. His bra and underwear had leopard print. If he really was a girl, he would probably look close to how he did now. Hopefully with different clothing, of corse. Lavender did well at the spell, as shocking as it might seem.

As for Ron, his red hair came in soft curls down to mid back. He wore a rainbow striped bra with matching underwear. I smiled proudly at my work. It looked identical to what I had in my head, and I think I made Ron look like a decent girl.

But that wasn't all. All the boys had on mascara, eyeliner, a different color of eye shadow, bright lipstick, fake tans (except for Wayne who had naturally tanned skin) and a light layer of blush. Each boy was dancing around a pole. Glitter snowed lightly from the ceiling over the boys.

It was times like this that I was so happy I had enchanted my cell phone to work in Hogwarts. I snapped a picture of each of the boys, and then recorded the rest of the show_. 'This will be great for blackmail someday'_ I thought with amusement.

One student decided to start cheering and clapping. Within moments the whole school was joining in. even a few of the teachers were laughing. Professor Flitwick was on Slughorn's shoulders, and they were the loudest of the teachers.

Suddenly all threw laughter and cheering stopped. The only noise was from the music. I was slightly confused until I saw some of the students parting and making way for Professor McGonagall. She stepped forward with raised eyebrows. She wore an expression that was a cross between amusement and wanting an explanation.

I waved my wand and did a silent spell, making the boys come back to reality. They blinked a few times, then they realized what they looked like. Then they noticed the crowd and looked down embarrassed. Then they noticed McGonagall and paled and stood with identical horrified expressions.

"My office boys. Now." She started to walk away with the boys following her with their heads bent down. As soon as they disappeared down the corridor, the students broke out into whispers about what just happened. They slowly filtered back into the great hall to finish their breakfast.

I felt a little guilty about getting my friends in trouble, but it was a good prank. And if McGonagall found out I helped out, the worst she would do is give me a few detentions. But it would be worth it. It would also be worth it for part two of the prank that we would do it soon.

A voice behind me brought me out of my thoughts. "Well granger, I think that went pretty well, don't you?" I twirled around and found Malfoy smirking at me.

I smiled at him. "Better than I thought it would. Although I didn't think glitter was part of the original plan." I raised my eyebrows at him, expecting an explanation.

"Hey this isn't just your prank. I wanted to add my own twist to it." He looked down embarrassed that the glitter was his idea.

'_It's different to see him look embarrassed. I defiantly like it better than his typical smirk._' I thought to myself. I smiled and said in a teasing voice, "wow. First you get all deep and sentimental, and now you're blushing. I think someone is becoming a big softie."

"Shut up. I'm not a softie." He grunted, but I knew he wasn't really mad.

"Oh, but I think you are. You are like a giant teddy bear." It was fun mocking him. Now I knew why he did it to me for so many years.

He looked confused, I should have known he wouldn't know what a muggle toy was. He recovered quickly though. "That's right I am a teddy bear. I'm big and strong and vicious." I rolled my eyes, he thought a teddy bear was a real bear.

"I don't believe you. Big badass Malfoy is nothing but a mask. Inside you are soft and sensitive."

"I don't think you want to test me Granger." I raised my eyebrows, challenging him. "All right but you asked for it."

"Aw but Malfoy, you wouldn't hurt an innocent, sweet, angelic girl would you?" I tried to do the puppy dog eyes that Ginny was so good at. I could tell I was failing miserably when he started to laugh.

"Innocent my ass," he mumbled. Before I knew what was happening he launched himself at me, trying to tickle me. I took a step back, and tripped over the hem of my robes. He still didn't stop when I fell, he crawled on top of me to hold me in place as he continued to tickle attack me.

We were both laughing so hard, we found it difficult to breath. Eventually he stopped tickling me so he could catch his breath. I took the opportunity to calm down as well. Once we had started breathing again, I became very aware of our current position.

He was on top of me with a hand on either side of my head to keep him from crushing me. We were so close our noses were almost touching. My heart rate increased tremendously, and I caught myself thinking I didn't want him to move away. I stared into his eyes. They were beautiful. Light grey with small blue flecks.

I was about to lean in further when the doors to the great hall slammed open. My mind was brought back to reality and my head snapped up, facing whoever interrupted us. "Hermione are you out he-" Ginny stopped mid sentence, noticing us on the floor. She stood speechless.

After a few awkward moments Malfoy stood up and dusted off his robes. He held out a hand and I took it, grateful to stand up as quickly as possible. "Right well, I had better get going. That was fun Granger, I'll see you around. Bye Weasley." With that he walked away.

'_I can't believe I almost leaned in! I almost kissed him! What in Merlin's name was I thinking? I was just caught up in the moment, yes that must be it.'_ Glad I had settled that, I faced Ginny who was still staring at me.

I sighed, knowing she would want an explanation. "Yes Gin, I know you have questions. But can we talk about this somewhere else please?"

"Fine." She grabbed my arm and practically dragged me through the common room and into our dorm room. I had barely sat down when she began firing question after question at me. "what just happened? Were you going to kiss? Are you seeing each other? Are you in love? How did it happen? Have you slept with him? Why didn't you tell me about this? Oh my god, are you pregnant?"

I waited a second to make sure she was done before answering. "no, we are not seeing each other, sleeping with each other, or in love. I am not pregnant, and we are just friends." I explained how we had gotten to know each other a little better since school started, beginning with the Hogsmeade day, and then going on to the night in the room of requirement. (I didn't tell her what exactly we said, just that we learned about each other's lives, and about the chocolate.) I finished by explaining what had happened just before Ginny had opened the doors and caught us in that position.

Ginny nodded in understanding. A thought popped into her head and she exclaimed, "but you never answered my question. Were you about to kiss? Do you like him Hermione?"

"I don't think we were about to kiss. I mean, he wasn't leaning in. And honestly, I have no clue how I feel about him. The past few weeks we have gotten close, closer than I would have ever thought possible that is. I guess I would even consider him a friend. But to have Romanic feelings for him? I don't think so. Maybe someday, but like I said, I don't know how I feel about him right now."

"Oh but it would be so sweet if you two fell in love. Rich, hot, pureblood, and prejudiced boy falls for intelligent, kind, goody two shoes, muggle-born girl. She teaches him what it means to love and he teaches her to live an adventurous life. They fall madly in love despite having their friends and family wanting to break them up. They get married, with me as the maid of honor of corse. The wedding is big and beautiful and everyone you love and care about will be there. You will live in a big, beautiful house filled with pictures and memories. A beautiful garden and a large library. You will have three beautiful children. Two girls and a boy as the middle child. You will name them Isabella, Kayson, and Lauren. The oldest girl will look just like you. The boy will look just like Draco. The youngest girl will have your face and hair style, but Draco's hair color and nose. You make me the godmother and every Saturday we take out the girls to go shopping, or an expensive lunch, or to get manicures and pedicures. The father will take his son outside and fly there brooms. And you all get together as a family to have a delicious home cooked meal. For bedtime stories you tell them about how you and your friends defeated the darkest wizard of all time and saved the world. If the girls want a romance story you can tell them about you and Draco." Ginny had a dreamy look the whole time she said this.

I had an amused grin as I listened to her. I snapped my fingers in front of her face to get her attention. She blinked a few times before her eyes focused on me. "remind me not to let you plan my wedding. You get way too carried away. We aren't even dating Ginny!" I laughed.

"Maybe I do get carried away, but doesn't it seem just perfect?" she defended herself.

"It does sound nice," I mumbled, more to myself then to her. "But that doesn't mean it's going to happen."

"No, but that doesn't mean you can't dream." She pointed out.

I rolled my eyes. "whatever Gin, I'm going to go find Harry and Ron. Make sure they aren't in too much trouble."

"Say hi to Draco for me if you see him." She called after me. I sighed and left the room. Knowing Ginny, she would not let this go. I just hoped she wouldn't say anything in front of Harry or Ron. They would freak out.

As I walked I thought about what Ginny had said. Did I like Draco? Do I want a future like what Ginny had described? Sure I had always wanted a big family, though not as big as the Weasley's, and at least one little girl I could spoil. Of corse I wouldn't spoil her too much, I didn't want her to turn out as a bitch or anything like that. But the more I thought about the future that Ginny had laid out for me, the more I liked it. A loving husband, beautiful children, (Isabella, Kayson, and Lauren, as Ginny had named them) and overall a happy, peaceful life. The only question was, did I see Draco in this future, or would it be someone else?

My feelings for Ron had long since disappeared, and I didn't like my male muggle friends in that way. There was Anthony, he is handsome, kind, and smart. But I was sure he was just kidding around when he would flirt with me. Besides, it's pretty obvious that he likes Hannah.

But Draco was a whole different story. For years he had tormented me and my friends. He called me a mudblood on countless occasions. He tried to make our lives hell and acted as thought he was above everyone.

But now he was different. He no longer called me mudblood. He didn't insult my friends that much. He had a horrible relationship with his father, who brainwashed him into acting how he did. But despite everything, Malfoy was not evil. He saved my life on numerous occasions. He showed me he had the ability to be kind and caring. He let his guard down around me, showing that he at least trusted me. And try as I might, it was impossible for me to hate him now. I even told Ginny I thought of us as friends. But could we be more? Did I want us to be more?

I decided to drop the topic. My head already felt like it would explode from everything that had happened. And it wasn't even noon. This was going to be a long day. I found Harry and Ron, who weren't in any trouble surprisingly. McGonagall praised them instead. She said that the magic preformed on the boys was difficult and clever. She knew no one would admit to the crime so she gave each of the boy's five points for having the spell done to them. McGonagall had defiantly loosened up after the war.

They boys headed up to the common room and I went to the library. I needed to relax and calm down after the events of the day, and losing myself in a book seemed like a great idea at the moment. I knew it was just to avoid thinking about Malfoy, but I didn't care. I would figure that out eventually. Right now I needed a break from reality. I spent the rest of the skimming through random books, not really paying attention to what I was reading, just making sure I kept my mind on anything but Malfoy.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** as much as I would love to own Draco, or any of the other characters, I do not. The only thing that is mine is the plot.  
><span><strong>AN**: So here is the next chapter. Sorry to my readers for taking so long, but I had writers block for the longest time. Anyways it back now, at least enough to finish this chapter. Hope you all enjoy it, remember reviews make me happy. Thank you inchausti for the review, I'm glad you are enjoying it. Also thanks to all the readers who have added me as a favorite author, story, or put me on story alert.

**What Could Have Been** **chapter 11**

_**Hermione P.O.V**_

"I have one more reminder for the sixth and seventh years," my head perked up at this, I had drowned out most of McGonagall's thanksgiving dinner speech, but I decided this was important enough for me to listen to. "Don't forget to inform your head of house if you will be joining us for the Muggle studies trip over the Christmas holidays. The trip will only be a week, so you can spend Christmas and the first week of vacation with your families. We will need to know by no later than the fifth of December. I suggest you try to make it, as it is a once in a lifetime experience for most of you. Other information will be given to you if you tell us you can come. With that being said there are no other announcements tonight, so happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the feast." As she sat at the teachers table the tables instantly filled with delicious food.

I was about to start filling my plate when I saw Ron was already stuffing his face with food. _'Typical'_ I thought as I rolled my eyes. I turned my attention towards Harry who was sitting across from me. "So Harry, were you planning on going on the trip?" I asked as I took a small bite of mashed potatoes.

He took a moment to swallow his food before responding. "It sounds fun, but it depends on if Ginny and Ron are going or not. Sense I'm staying at the burrow I don't want to seem rude and leave for half of vacation if they aren't going." I nodded completely understanding his answer. "What about you? Are you going?"

"I was planning on it. I mean, I don't have a home to go back to since my parents are still in Australia. It's not like I was going to do anything fun around the castle so I might as well go to New York with the rest of the students."

"Well I don't know about Ginny, but I'm going." Ron said, spitting food everywhere.

I gave him a disgusted glance. "Really Ron, haven't you learned to not talk with your mouth full by now?"

He rolled his eyes and made a huge show of swallowing his food before responding. "As I was saying, I'm not going to spent all of the holidays at home, not when my mom will have us doing housework during all our free time."

"Of corse, your one chance to get out of the country and you're only going to get out of doing chores." I shook my head at him in disappointment. He just shrugged in response. The rest of dinner continued with easy conversation, changing topic every now and then.

We were just about to leave the great hall and head to the common room when Susan and Hannah waved us over to the Hufflepuff table. After a few minutes our Ravenclaw partners saw us and headed over being led by Anthony and Terry.

Mandy rushed over and gave Neville a big hug, which caused him to blush brightly. After a moment she decided to give everyone else a hug too so it wouldn't seem as obvious that she liked Neville. After all the greetings were over, we went back to the vacation topic.

"So, who all is going, because I really don't want to be the only person I know there." Ernie said.

"Don't worry you won't be completely alone, all of us are going," Lavender gestured to all of the Gryffindors.

"Yeah I'm not going to give up the opportunity to leave the country when it's practically free." Ginny stated.

"Same here, plus my family drives me crazy, the less time I spend with them the better." Wayne said.

"Well I wish I could go, but my family is going on a Cruz that we have been planning for a long time so I won't be able to go. Sorry guys." Padma said sadly.

"And I won't be able to make it because of some family reunion or something." Zack spoke up. "Since the war my family has been trying to spend every possible minuet with each other." He rolled his eyes before continuing. "So don't worry Padma, you aren't the only one missing all the fun."

"I'm sorry you two have to miss this, but I'm going, it sounds like a lot of fun." Hannah said with a shrug.

"Well if the beautiful lady is going, then count me in as well." Anthony said with a wink at Hannah, which caused her to blush and giggle. I rolled my eyes, their attraction for each other was way too obvious.

Anthony of corse, ever the observant one, caught this gesture and threw his arm around my shoulder. "Awe Hermione, don't be like that. I know you love me, but you don't need to be jealous. I love you too, but you and I, we could never work. There are too many things keeping us apart." He finished dramatically.

I caught on to his playful tone and decided to play along. "But Anthony, my love for you is too strong. We have to be together. We can work through our troubles if it means being together." I mock begged him with an over the top hopeful expression.

"I know, and I have tried to fight my love for you, but I can't. But we can't be together. I wish we could, but it's best if you forget about me and move on. Find another love, get married and have children, don't let me hold you back. Enjoy life without me, and don't ever let go." He pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.

"I won't let go, I'll never let go." I grabbed his free hand with both of mine as we starred dramatically into each other's eyes trying to look as serious as possible. I saw him trying to hide a smile and that was all it took for me to burst out laughing. Anthony started laughing as he removed his arm from my shoulders. Once I had calmed down I sent a glance at Hannah letting her know that we were just kidding and none of it was real. She gave a nod and small smile in understanding. That was the great thing about Hannah, she wasn't an overprotective, jealous, or clingy, girl. She would let Anthony have fun as long as he didn't cheat.

I looked at the rest of my group of friends and noticed they were all staring at us with amusement in their eyes.

"Well it's almost curfew, so I guess we should be heading back to our common rooms," Ginny said looking around the great hall that was already empty except for the group of us. We had been talking for a lot longer than I thought.

"Ok you guys go on ahead; I left my book at our table I'll catch up to you guys soon." I said as I walked back to retrieve my stuff.

On my way back to the Gryffindor tower, I thought I heard footsteps. I shrugged; it was probably nothing, so I kept going. A few seconds later I heard it again. Call me paranoid, but after the war and everything that had been going on just recently, I had to make sure that it wasn't a threat. As I drew my want it briefly crossed my mind that I was in the hallway leading to the room of requirement. I leaned against the wall and took a deep breath to calm down. I jumped around the corner ready to attack… Malfoy?

He looked at me with wide eyes and a confused expression on his face. I let out a sigh of relief as I lowered my wand. He was no threat to me, at least, not anymore. "Sorry, I heard a noise and I couldn't help but see what it was. What are you doing here? You should be in the dungeons; curfew is in a few minutes."

"Yeah I know. I just wanted a break from my friends you know? I needed some peace and quiet. I was just going to spend the night here sense we don't have class tomorrow because of the holiday." As he spoke the door appeared to the room of requirement. He glanced at it and opened the door before it disappeared. "Sense you are here do you want to join me?" he asked. His voice almost seemed hopeful, but it was too well masked for me to tell for sure.

"Sure, if you don't mind." I smiled at him as he opened the door wider to let me in. I smiled again to myself as I saw that it was our room. I put my stuff over on a desk and sat down in the comfy loveseat. I closed my eyes and relaxed. I felt Draco sit down next to me. I opened my eyes and glared at the white wall in front of me. I turned to Draco and said "we are going to have to do something about these walls." At his confused expression I continued, "I hate white walls, too plain." I explained.

He sighed but nodded anyways. "Okay, but no red or gold."

"I'll agree to that if you agree to no silver, green, or black."

"Why not black? It's not a Slytherin color!"

"I know, but black is too dark for a wall color. It will make the room look way smaller than it is."

He crossed his arms and slouched with a fake pout on his face. I couldn't help but smile at his childish antics. "What about a teal color?"

He made a face. "Too Ravenclawy."

"Yellow?"

"I'm not a Hufflepuff am I?"

I sighed in frustration. This boy was too hard to please. "What about purple?"

"That's too girly. This is too hard, I saw we drop it and decide later."

"No, we are going to do it now or it will never get done."I crossed my arms and glared at him until he gave in. "well what if we somehow found a way to mix the house colors together? Red, gold, silver, green, blue, bronze, yellow, and black?"

He thought for a few seconds and made his decision. "That could work, I guess. But gold and yellow are the same things so only use one of those."

"Fine, we are using gold." I stood up and walked over to the wall. I turned around and faced him. "Well? Aren't you going to help?"

"Do I have to? Painting sounds boring." He whined like a little kid who was forced to do a chore.

I was about to come up with a witty comeback but then I realized he was right. Painting a wall was not fun. I was about to sit down by Draco again and call the idea off, but then I got a wonderful idea. I started smiling. "I think I know how we can make it fun." I walked over to a nearby coffee table and closed my eyes. I opened them a moment later to see a pink bottle with a white cap. "Tell me Malfoy, do you know what this is?" I asked as I unscrewed the top.

He looked at with a look of deep concentration on his face. "I don't think so." Just then a circle of soap and water popped on his nose. He looked at me in wonder.

I giggled at his expression as I blew another bubble at him. This time as it floated towards him he slowly lifted his finger and popped it. I started blowing more and watched as he chased them around the room. It was entertaining to see an eighteen year old running around playing a three year olds game. I couldn't help but smile as I watched him.

Once the bubble bottle was almost empty, he finally got tired and sat back down on the couch. "That was fun. Who knew muggles could invent something that's almost like magic. Floating water, it's fascinating really." If he thought this was fu, I could only imagine what he would think of a TV, or the internet, or anything that was electronic. I smiled in amusement imagining his reactions.

"Well as great as that was, how will it help us paint the walls?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'm getting there. You said you needed it to be fun, so I was thinking that we had one of the colors as a background, or base coat, and we would substitute the bubbles with the other colors and blow them onto the wall. It will at least be better than having to hand paint it all."

"Okay, I like your idea, but will it work? Isn't paint to heavy to float in a bubble?"

"Anything is possible with a little bit of magic." I grinned at him, and he smiled back. After five minutes of talking, we decided that the base coat should be black so that the other colors would be more noticeable. Draco would do the Slytherin and Hufflepuff colors, and I would do the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw colors. Once we made those decisions we painted the walls black, each doing half of the room. Then we concentrated on the colors we wanted and the room supplied them in bubble versions for us.

An hour later we sat on the couch admiring our work. Our room was now brightly colored with all the house colors (although there was a considerable amount more of green, red, gold, and silver, than the others). We were left with a pretty awesome splatter paint looking room and had magically changed some of the furniture to match. I had to admit, we did a pretty good job changing a boring room into one I would gladly spend my free time in.

"I don't like this Granger." Malfoy spoke up after a few minutes of silence. I looked at him, confused. "I just spent my whole evening talking about how to decorate a room and painting it 'pretty' as you call it. I'm turning into a girl from spending so much time with you."

I laughed from his explanation. He thought he was becoming too feminine. "Are you saying you dot like spending time with me?" I was hurt that he would think that, but I did a good job of covering it up.

He looked surprised at that. "Why do you girls always have to over think things? Of course I like being with you, I just meant that next time we hang out, we are going to do something I want to do." I smiled; at least he didn't hate spending time with me.

After a little while of sitting in silence I suddenly remembered something. I was going to ask him earlier, but I forgot. "Hey Malfoy?" when he looked over at me I continued. "Were you planning on going to the trip to New York? All of our partners will be going, except for Padma and Zack. We never did get to ask you Slytherins though."

"I don't know, they don't seem to like me that much. I don't feel like being murdered in the U.S.A so I was just going to stay home.

"But I like you, so you should go. It won't be any fun if no one is there to make me break the rules." I pleaded with him. For some reason I really wanted him to go.

"What about Potter and Weasley?" he asked.

"Surprisingly they have actually followed most of the rules this year. No sneaking around the castle in the middle of the night. No steeling from teachers. Just being normal students for a change. It's kind of boring actually."

Malfoy gave a way over dramatic gasp. "Granger wants to break rules? The bookworm and teachers pet actually does something bad? How could this be?" he put a hand to his forehead and mock fainted.

I rolled my eyes and gently pushed his arm. "Don't act so surprised. It's no big deal. So will you go? I promise I won't let them be mean to you if you go. Please, please, please, please, please, please!"

"You kind of suck at the begging thing you know." He said with amusement in his eyes.

"So is that a yes?"

"Goodbye Granger."

"So it is a yes!"

"I'll see you tomorrow Granger," he said as he stood up.

"See you in New York Malfoy!" I gave him a quick hug and ran out of the room and into the Gryffindor common room. Everyone else was in bed so I snuck up to my room and changed for bed. As I slipped under my covers I couldn't help but think of Malfoy. Although he hadn't said he would go, I could tell he was going to cave eventually.

I'm not sure what possessed me to hug him, but I'm glad I did. His body was strong and muscular. The scent of his cologne filled my nostrils. I fell asleep that night thinking of how perfectly my body fit into his.

**Draco P.O.V.**

"See you then."I whispered to the now empty room. After she hugged me I stood there for what seemed like forever. Sure I had been hugged by girls before, but only in the 'you are my boyfriend and I want you now' type of way. I had never be hugged by someone in a friendly way. I had ever had a true friend before. The closest I ever had to a real friend was with Pansy and Blaise. But none of them had ever hugged me like that before. We were Slytherins; we didn't show our feelings with hugs. But it felt great. For those few seconds that I held her, it felt amazing. It left a nice feeling inside. It made me feel loved, and like someone actually cared about me as a person.

It was amazing how Hermione could do that. Just by smiling at you she could make you feel like the most important person in the world. She could make you laugh when you didn't even want to smile. She just had this way of making everyone happy. She cared deeply for all of her friends. She would talk to you and listen to what you had to say. She tried her best to understand everyone, and I was truly amazed at how she could do all this and still be sane.

When I'm around her I feel safe. I let my guard down and let her see the real me. I trust her completely, and I'm sure she feels the same way. She could ask me to do something and I would do it. For her. I didn't even want to go on the trip, but now knowing she wants me there, I wouldn't miss it for the world. She didn't even have to manipulate me to get me too bend to her will.

I had ever felt such strong feelings for anyone in my entire life. It scared me a little bit. Before I only had to watch out for myself. That's how Slytherins did stuff, we worked solo and didn't care about others. At least that is what we are taught growing up. But now I would do anything for her. Hell, I would probably die for her if it came to it. I'm not sure if what I feel for her is love, but what else can it be?

I might not know what is going on at the moment, but I do know one thing. Before this year is over I will without a doubt be in love with Hermione Granger. That is, if I'm not already in love with her now.


End file.
